Security for Vibe-Coded Healthcare Apps
Healthcare apps handling Protected Health Information (PHI) face the strictest security requirements. HIPAA violations carry fines up to $1.5M per incident, and vibe-coded apps almost never meet compliance requirements out of the box.
Get security coverage specific to your use case.
Why Security Matters for Healthcare Applications
Healthcare data is the most valuable data type on the black market — worth 10-40x more than credit card numbers. A single patient record can sell for $250-$1,000 because it contains everything needed for identity theft and insurance fraud. Vibe-coded healthcare apps face a double problem: the AI-generated code lacks HIPAA-required safeguards, and most developers using AI tools don't understand what HIPAA requires. Encryption at rest, audit logging, access controls, and BAAs (Business Associate Agreements) are legal requirements, not optional features. A HIPAA breach requires notification of affected individuals, HHS, and potentially the media. The reputational damage alone can end a healthcare startup.
Security Risks
PHI exposed without encryption
criticalPatient health information stored in plaintext in the database or transmitted without TLS.
Mitigation
Encrypt PHI at rest using AES-256. Ensure all data transmission uses TLS 1.2+. Use field-level encryption for sensitive data like SSNs and diagnoses.
Missing audit trails
criticalHIPAA requires logging of all PHI access. AI-generated code never includes audit logging.
Mitigation
Log every read, write, and delete of PHI with timestamp, user ID, and accessed record. Store audit logs separately with immutable retention.
Insufficient access controls
highDoctors, nurses, admin staff, and patients all seeing the same data without role-based restrictions.
Mitigation
Implement role-based access control with minimum necessary access principle. Doctors see their patients, nurses see their ward, patients see only their own records.
No Business Associate Agreement
highUsing Supabase, Firebase, or other services without a signed BAA violates HIPAA.
Mitigation
Ensure your database provider, hosting service, and any third-party service that touches PHI has signed a BAA. Supabase and Firebase both offer BAAs on enterprise plans.
Security Checklist
Signed Business Associate Agreements with your database, hosting, email, and any service touching PHI.
AES-256 for stored PHI, TLS 1.2+ for all data transmission.
Log all PHI access with user, timestamp, action, and affected records.
Different access levels for providers, staff, and patients following minimum necessary principle.
Sessions must expire after a period of inactivity to prevent unauthorized access on shared devices.
Regular encrypted backups with tested recovery procedures.
Documented procedures for breach detection, containment, and HIPAA-required notifications.
Real-World Scenario
A physical therapy practice builds a patient portal using Cursor and Supabase. Patients can view their treatment plans and book appointments. The developer uses Supabase's free tier without a BAA and stores PHI including diagnoses and insurance info. A researcher discovers that the Supabase project has no RLS enabled. Using the anon key visible in the frontend JavaScript, they query the database directly and download 5,000 patient records. The practice faces a HIPAA investigation, $500K in fines, and a mandatory breach notification to all affected patients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Supabase or Firebase for a HIPAA app?
Yes, but only on plans that include a BAA (Business Associate Agreement). Supabase offers BAAs on their Team and Enterprise plans. Firebase/Google Cloud offers BAAs but you must explicitly request and sign one. Free tiers do not include BAAs.
What happens if my vibe-coded healthcare app has a data breach?
Under HIPAA, you must notify affected individuals within 60 days, report to the HHS Office for Civil Rights, and if over 500 individuals are affected, notify the media. Fines range from $100 to $50,000 per violated record, up to $1.5M per violation category per year.
Is HIPAA compliance possible with AI-generated code?
The code itself can be HIPAA-compliant, but it requires significant manual review and additions. AI tools don't generate audit logging, proper encryption, or access controls by default. Treat AI-generated code as a starting point that needs security hardening, not a finished product.
Security for Other Use Cases
Secure Your Healthcare Applications
VAS automatically scans for the security risks specific to healthcare applications. Get actionable results with step-by-step fixes tailored to your stack.
Scans from $5, results in minutes.