A hospital's security team recently determined its network was breached and patient data was accessed by an external entity.
The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the hospital approaches the executive management team with this information, reports the vulnerability that led to the breach has already been remediated, and explains the team is continuing to follow the appropriate incident response plan.
The executive team is concerned about the hospital's brand reputation and asks the CISO when the incident should be disclosed to the affected patients.
Which of the following is the MOST appropriate response?
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A. B. C. D. E.A.
The appropriate response for the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the hospital regarding the disclosure of the breach to the affected patients is to prioritize the legal and regulatory requirements. Therefore, the most appropriate response is A. When it is mandated by their legal and regulatory requirements.
Here are the reasons why the other options are not the most appropriate:
B. As soon as possible in the interest of the patients: This option may not be appropriate as it could create undue panic among the patients, especially if the hospital is not yet sure of the extent of the breach or what information was accessed.
C. As soon as the public relations department is ready to be interviewed: This option may not be appropriate as it focuses on public relations instead of patient privacy, which should be the primary concern of the hospital.
D. When all steps related to the incident response plan are completed: This option may not be appropriate as it delays the disclosure until all incident response plan steps are completed, which could take an unspecified amount of time. This could put the hospital at risk of being non-compliant with legal and regulatory requirements.
E. Upon the approval of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to release information to the public: This option may not be appropriate as it delays the disclosure until the CEO approves, which could take an unspecified amount of time. This could put the hospital at risk of being non-compliant with legal and regulatory requirements.
Therefore, the most appropriate response is A. When it is mandated by their legal and regulatory requirements. Hospitals and other healthcare organizations have legal and regulatory requirements that specify when and how they should report data breaches. The hospital should consult with legal and regulatory authorities to determine the appropriate time to disclose the breach to the affected patients.
Additionally, the hospital should ensure that it has a plan in place to notify affected patients in a timely and appropriate manner. This may involve notifying patients individually or through public announcements, depending on the scope of the breach and the number of patients affected. The hospital should also take steps to protect affected patients from further harm, such as offering credit monitoring or identity theft protection services.