Magento Commerce, a leading eCommerce platform, has robust security features. However, configuring it to meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance for handling protected health information (PHI) and encrypting data to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards necessitates additional measures.
We work with both the Enterprise version of Magento, Adobe Commerce as well as the standard open source version (community).
This article provides an outline of the necessary steps to make Magento Commerce HIPAA compliant and ensure data encryption aligns with NIST standards.
Understanding HIPAA and NIST
HIPAA is a US federal law that requires healthcare organizations to protect the confidentiality and integrity of PHI. Covered entities must implement safeguards to prevent unauthorized access to PHI.
NIST is a non-regulatory agency that develops technology, metrics, and standards. NIST’s encryption standard is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), outlined under Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 197.
Steps to Make Magento Commerce HIPAA Compliant
1. Conduct a Risk Assessment
Identify the types of PHI that your Magento store handles. Understand the potential vulnerabilities and threats to your PHI and other sensitive data. This risk assessment will help you determine the necessary security measures.
2. Limit PHI Collection and Retention
Collect only the necessary PHI required for the purpose at hand. Limiting PHI collection reduces the risk of a data breach. Also, it’s crucial to implement policies for timely PHI deletion when no longer needed.
3. Implement Access Controls
Ensure that only authorized personnel can access PHI. Magento provides granular access controls to limit data access. Use these features to set up user roles and permissions.
4. Secure Data Transmission
Encrypt all data transmission that contains PHI. Utilize HTTPS across your Magento store to ensure all data in transit is encrypted.
5. Audit Logs
Maintain detailed logs of data access and changes. Magento Commerce has built-in logging capabilities that can help you track activities related to PHI.
6. Business Associate Agreements (BAAs)
If you’re using third-party services that might come into contact with PHI, ensure you have BAAs in place with them. Magento Commerce itself isn’t a HIPAA-covered entity, but your organization is responsible for ensuring all business associates comply with HIPAA.
Encrypting Data to NIST Standards
1. Implement AES Encryption
NIST recommends the use of AES for data encryption. To comply with NIST standards, use AES-256 for robust security. Magento Commerce doesn’t natively support AES-256 encryption, so you might need to customize your Magento store or use third-party extensions that provide this functionality.
2. Encrypt Data at Rest
Encrypt all stored PHI. This includes data stored in databases, file systems, or backups. Since Magento doesn’t provide built-in support for AES encryption, you may need to handle this at the server or database level.
3. Secure Key Management
Managing encryption keys securely is vital. Use secure methods to generate, distribute, store, rotate, and retire encryption keys. Control and log who has access to the keys.
4. Regularly Review and Update Security Measures
Continually monitor for vulnerabilities and update your security measures as needed. Keep your Magento Commerce platform and all associated extensions updated to the latest versions.
Conclusion
Making Magento Commerce HIPAA compliant and encrypting data to NIST standards involves understanding the unique requirements of both standards, identifying potential risks, implementing necessary safeguards, and maintaining a continuous process of monitoring and updating your security measures. Always consult with a data security professional to ensure you’re effectively protecting your data and meeting all necessary regulations.
If you would like help evaluating, auditing or implementing HIPAA standards or making Magento HIPAA-compliant please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
