AI's Role in Healthcare Cybersecurity Bolstering Digital Identity Verification

Healthcare organizations find it harder than ever to verify digital identities. A new, sponsored white paper from H-ISAC shows that artificial intelligence provides an incredibly powerful answer. As the number of healthcare cyberattacks escalates into 2025, the capacity to fortify digital identity verification is more essential than ever. AI offers a promising avenue for healthcare entities to enhance their cybersecurity posture, especially when managing numerous digital identities with varying privilege levels.

Suddenly, digital identity verification became essential. Hostile, nation-state actors have been known to submit applications using stolen or even made-up identities. This disturbing trend highlights the desperate need for healthcare organizations to implement more advanced verification techniques. Job applicant verification is the alternate hot AI topic, but again, a huge savings and effectiveness area.

In the statement, H-ISAC highlighted AI in cybersecurity as a double-edged sword, showing how it can improve protection against threats as well as create new ones.

In cybersecurity, the recent focus has been on defending systems from attacks powered by Gen AI. But there are also positive use cases -- particularly for digital identity -- that leverage AI to defend against attacks. - H-ISAC

The bottom line AI is an incredibly powerful tool that can help us on the defensive side from being attacked. In particular, it aims to safeguard digital identity.

The challenge our healthcare sector faces is further compounded by the complexity and number of digital identities it has to contend with. Certifications, feasible for small teams, turn into a massive headache when you are trying to track hundreds of employees.

For managers leading a small group, these certifications aren’t a problem and can be performed in a matter of minutes. For those overseeing large groups -- hundreds of employees or more -- these certifications pose a bigger, more time-consuming challenge. - H-ISAC

Traditional methods find it increasingly challenging to tackle the scale and complexity of today’s healthcare systems efficiently, creating a need for AI solutions.

AI-powered fraud detection solutions continuously mine hundreds of data attributes to identify questionable activity. Together, this flexible approach helps deliver a strong wall of protection against bad actors.

Fraud detection systems using AI can review an individual’s IP address, device information, and other metrics to spot anomalous behavior and run it against databases of known fraudulent behavior. Liveness detection can also be used during remote video interviews to spot deepfake technology. - H-ISAC

According to H-ISAC, these systems look at an individual’s IP address, device type, and multiple other factors. Specifically, they flag any suspicious activity by matching it up to databases of previously discovered fraud. Liveness detection is similarly used in remote video interviews to detect the use of deepfake technology.

Unsophisticated, but deadly, tactics are increasing. For instance, more and more people use VPNs to hide their IP addresses, which makes the verification much more challenging.

Spotting this type of fraud can be challenging. VPNs are common tools used to mask an IP address and an individual’s location. - H-ISAC

AI is particularly well-suited to identifying and synthesizing subtle signals of fraud. This powerful capability is what makes AI an irreplaceable ally in protecting the sanctity of digital identities.

Cyberattacks to the healthcare industry are becoming increasingly common. At RSAC 2025, data security and identity security will be front and center. This renewed emphasis further highlights the reality that the identity tech industry is increasingly aware of the need for strong identity verification standards.