Strategy and Solutions
Our client was a multi-hospital healthcare system operating across five states, with more than 15,000 employees and several million patient records under management. The organization invested heavily in modernization of electronic health record (EHR), remote patient portals, and connected imaging systems. However, leadership realized that as their digital footprint expanded, so did their exposure to cyber threats.
Ahead of a scheduled HIPAA compliance audit, they engaged Zymr to perform a comprehensive penetration testing and social engineering assessment across their hospital network, EHR environment, and VPN infrastructure.
This engagement was critical because, in healthcare, the cost of a data breach extends beyond fines and directly impacts patient safety, trust, and continuity of care. The goal was to identify vulnerabilities that could lead to PHI exposure and strengthen compliance posture before the audit.
The organization managed dozens of interconnected applications, including EHR, imaging, billing, and telemedicine, many using legacy protocols. These systems required precise configuration and encryption alignment to remain compliant.
Several backend database connections transmitted patient data without encryption, exposing PHI to potential interception.
Medical imaging systems used outdated authentication methods. Several devices shared admin credentials, making them prime targets for lateral movement.
Zymr’s early reconnaissance detected misconfigured VPN servers that allowed overly permissive access to internal systems.
The administrative staff were the first line of defense, yet simulated social engineering attempts showed susceptibility to pretexting and phishing.
The healthcare system’s challenge wasn’t just technology was governance. Legacy systems, uneven patching, and human error created an environment where small lapses could yield large-scale breaches.
The picture was clear: interconnected systems with uneven security hygiene, amplified by human vulnerability. Strengthening this ecosystem meant balancing usability, compliance, and defense-in-depth.
Zymr’s penetration testing engagement safeguarded millions of patient records and restored executive confidence in digital healthcare systems. The zero-finding audit outcome became a highlight in their annual report, reinforcing trust with regulators and patients alike.
For a sector where reputation and safety intertwine, this engagement proved that proactive testing and disciplined remediation can save both lives and liabilities
The healthcare network moved from reactive compliance to proactive security, reducing the likelihood of breaches and audit fatigue.
The transformation wasn’t cosmetic built measurable, operational trust. Systems became safer, audits easier, and employees smarter.
Zymr executed a multi-layered penetration testing and remediation plan covering external, internal, and human-centric attack surfaces.
1. External Penetration Testing
Our red team initiated reconnaissance and vulnerability exploitation against public-facing hospital domains, patient portals, and telemedicine endpoints.
Zymr recommended enforcing TLS 1.3, rotating SSL certificates, and encrypting all backend communications with database-level encryption keys.
2. Internal Network Assessment
Once inside the hospital’s internal network, our team simulated an attacker’s lateral movement.
Zymr recommended role-based access control (RBAC) implementation, credential rotation automation, and deployment of endpoint protection agents.
3. VPN and Access Testing
We exploited VPN configuration flaws to demonstrate potential lateral movement between hospital and partner networks.
4. Social Engineering & Awareness
Zymr conducted a controlled social engineering exercise across 400 employees using phone-based pretexting and email phishing.
The testing uncovered systemic issues but also provided a roadmap. Zymr’s phased plan combined immediate remediation (encryption, access controls) with long-term culture-building (training, monitoring).
We didn’t just identify vulnerabilities built a defense strategy that integrated technical controls, governance frameworks, and behavioral resilience.
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