Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Information Systems and Technology

Advisor

Danielle Wright-Babb

Abstract

AbstractCyberattacks are ranked as third in the top 10 highest global threats in terms of likelihood, ranked after extreme weather events and natural disasters. Traditional technology risk management plans for preventative, detective, and recovery measures have failed to mitigate cybersecurity risks created by new technologies. The social problem addressed was the impact of cybercrime to the healthcare industry. The purpose of this qualitative classical Delphi study was to determine how a panel of 25 healthcare cybersecurity experts, based in the United States, viewed the desirability, feasibility, and importance of information technology (IT) cybersecurity risk mitigation techniques. The conceptual framework selected for this qualitative study was the experiential learning theory. The basis of this theory was that we create knowledge via the transformation of our experiences. The literature provided proposed strategies to mitigate cybersecurity risk but was lacking in agreement on which methods are the most desirable, feasible, and important in reducing the risk of cyberattacks. Data were collected and analyzed during three rounds of iterative surveys to identify mitigation strategies based on the survey responses from chief information security officer cybersecurity experts. The top three strategies identified were establishing a cybersecurity program, implementing strong passwords and multifactor authentication, and cybersecurity hygiene. With this new knowledge, the healthcare industry cybersecurity professionals can better protect patient data enabling underserved communities to access healthcare in secure ways.

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