Mid Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust strengthens password security

The importance of strong passwords in healthcare settings

Healthcare providers handle large volumes of sensitive data in an environment that cannot afford disruption. Hackers specifically target passwords as an initial entry point in attacks; ensuring strong passwords is therefore key in healthcare cybersecurity.

Following a password strength audit a few years ago, the Infrastructure Team at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust implemented Specops Password Policy. Chris Thomas, Head of IT Infrastructure, had used Specops Password Policy for years at a previous NHS Trust and knew almost immediately that he wanted to bring it to his new network at the Mid Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust.

After deploying Specops Password Policy along with Breached Password Protection, the situation improved greatly.

“Our password health profile is a lot better now, especially so since we turned on the continuous scans for Specops Breached Password Protection,” shared Stuart Lawton, Cyber Security Manager.

The rollout has been seamless and no issues have been reported from users, helpdesk or management.

Most solutions on the market rely on the password change/reset event to check for compromised passwords. The continuous scan feature from Specops Breached Password Protection offers daily checks, if configured in the policy. As Chris comments:

Even though we face budget pressures like the rest of the NHS, we would not want to rely on other solutions that don’t offer continuous scanning.

The continuous scan feature offers the option to force users to change their password at next logon when it’s found to be a compromised one or to simply notify them (and/or an admin or the security team) by email or text. This approach can provide a balance between maintaining a high level of password hygiene and minimal impact on end users.

When we asked Chris and Stuart whether they would recommend Specops Password Policy and the Continuous Scan feature for Breached Password Protection, they just had just this to say:

It’s a no brainer.