We are learning about the various ways that private entities, WHO, individual countries and others plan to track the Covid-19 virus in order to curtail the spread as we get back to the new “normal”. Especially important is the use of wearable technologies and other sources such as infrared devices that take temperature readings and related health information. Many of the devices we have including smart watches, monitors and even our phones can provide information about our health. And, much of this information is shared and used to make health decisions. What about my privacy? Well, there is no definitive answer to that question but exception and opt-in policies may need to be written to address privacy during a pandemic. Additionally, we have all heard of people’s smart watches calling 911 because it shows imminent heart failure in its wearer; this is because we already allow this data to be shared. And, in this time of crisis, we need to share information relative to our and other’s health and well being. Technology is not the be all-end all solution, but technology will be an integral part of managing or potentially eliminating the cluster spread of this virus in our daily working environment.
It may be the new normal for HR or other related corp division to track health of their workers within their campus. Using technology is the best way to do so. And like all technologies, it can help or hinder the ability of the organization to react effectively to this pandemic. A good use case for organizations such as hospitals to offer low cost assistive technologies such as wearable devices and “opt-in” agreements or have users who wear BYOD smart devices share relevant health information such as temperature readings without necessarily providing personal information. If a user self-identifies that they are ill or a cluster is identified, the organization can identify the device (NOT the “person”) using the unique identifier of the device and the other devices in which they came in contact with using real-time and historical log data. You can then identify a potential cluster and take necessary actions including having those people tested due to potential exposure curtailing the spread.
Potential Tracking Method for Organizations
Many of those organizations already have ways of capturing data including log analysis and SIEM tools that can be used to react to this information outlined above. Many of these tools exist to track big data or for security and compliance management and can have built-in correlation engines that track historical and real-time data. As an example, EmNet was presented with a use case where a hospital system wanted to keep track of scripts written within a specific Geo-location and where those scripts were filled; this was meant to reduce or eliminate potential abuse of prescription drugs. We were able to configure and write custom rules for the hospital system’s SIEM to track scripts written from devices in hospitals and affiliated clinics and tied it to their Pharmaceutical system in order to make sure it is not being filled outside of specific geographical location. While this is not be the same scenario, it is relevant in that we are able to identify using real-time and historical data (scatter diagrams, Geo-location mapping, etc) through effective logging, relevant information to take the appropriate action using existing tools without investing in new technologies.
If organizations can effectively identify use-cases and tune existing technologies, we can quickly get back to the new normal in times of Covid-19 and these log analysis and SIEM tools may be able to assist us in doing so without severely affecting the privacy of the individual.