Is Box HIPAA Compliant?

Is Box HIPAA Compliant?

When it comes to managing protected health information within the digital realm, HIPAA compliance is a fundamental requirement for healthcare organizations. 

Box is a cloud-based content management and file sharing service that allows organizations to store, share, and manage files securely online. It is designed as a centralized platform for collaboration and data storage. 

Healthcare organizations should note that, as standard, Box does not meet HIPAA regulations for the safeguarding of Protected Health Information (PHI). 

However, Box is configurable to bring its use into compliance with HIPAA standards. Box does have limited security measures to protect sensitive information. 

To comply with HIPAA, business associates must have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in place with all healthcare organizations classified as HIPAA-covered entities.

Yes. Box is willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement with covered entities. 

Box only offers a BAA to healthcare organizations that are subscribed to an Enterprise or Enterprise Plus account.

By entering into a BAA, Box commits to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI, aligning its services with HIPAA requirements. However, signing the BAA does not ensure your organization’s compliance with HIPAA. 

Healthcare organizations must actively ensure their use of Box remains compliant, at all times. 

✨Can You Store PHI or Patient Data in Box?

Yes . it is possible to store PHI in Box, however doing so presents certain risks. 

As mentioned, healthcare organizations planning on using Box to handle and store PHI must ensure Box’s settings are configured to be HIPAA compliant. These settings include data access permissions, activity logging, and the ability to control data sharing.

Furthermore, healthcare organizations must be subscribed to an Enterprise or Enterprise Plus plan. To mitigate the risk of data leaks, organizations must also ensure all staff are trained on handling sensitive information.

Improper handling of sensitive data and protected information within Box can open your organization up to significant regulatory and litigation risks.

✨Can PHI or Patient Data be Leaked from Box?

Considering Box’s use as a file storage and content management service that allows organizations to store and share files, there is a major risk of data leaks. 

While Box offers some security features, like any other cloud-based service, there are various factors that can lead to data leaks. For example, misconfigured security settings, user error, or cyber attacks require additional security mechanisms to be implemented. 

To mitigate risks, healthcare organizations should always utilize Box's security features, such as two-factor authentication, and restricting sharing permissions. Although Box does have security settings to safeguard data, vulnerabilities remain. 

Employees and staff also play a crucial role in ensuring data security and the proper handling of sensitive patient data.

Many healthcare organizations adopt additional security mechanisms that not only ensure compliance, but effectively prevent various types of data leaks.

How Can Strac Prevent Data Leaks from Box?

Strac Box DLP is a comprehensive data leak prevention solution that adds additional security mechanisms to safeguard protected health information in Box. 

Strac DLP ensures your use of Box always remains secure and fully compliant at all times. 

Here's how:

• Regulatory Compliance: Strac's DLP solutions ensure adherence to compliance standards such as PCI, SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO-27001, CCPA, GDPR, and NIST.
• Instantaneous Email Redactions: Leverage real-time interventions by Strac's DLP, identifying and mitigating SharePoint data vulnerabilities as they arise.
• Comprehensive Audit Overviews: Document every SharePoint operation in detail. Strac simplifies audit logs for clear and accountable oversight.
• Effortless Integration: Incorporate Strac with SharePoint effortlessly, for consistent and fortified data safeguarding.
• Specialized Protection Across the Board: DLP solutions tailored for your distinct SharePoint environment, enhancing your data security profile.
• AI Integration: Beyond standard SaaS, Cloud, and Endpoint protections, Strac seamlessly works with LLM APIs and AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Copilot, enhancing the security of AI or LLM applications and the data they process. Learn more through Strac's developer documentation.
• Pioneering Data Security Intel: Stay abreast with Strac’s avant-garde insights on emerging data threats and potential weak points within SharePoint.
• Detailed Control & Configuration: Customize your SharePoint safety protocols to your preferences. See Strac’s full catalog of sensitive data elements.
• API Capabilities: Strac empowers developers with APIs for the detection and redaction of sensitive information. Access Strac’s API Docs.

To learn more about how Strac adds an extra layer of security and helps organizations comply with HIPAA regulations, see our guide to HIPAA Compliance. 

Book a free 30-minute demo for more.

Bottom Line

Box can support HIPAA compliance, but only when organizations sign a Business Associate Agreement, choose an eligible plan, and configure Box with strict access controls. Many companies assume that Box is compliant by default; however, HIPAA requires encryption, granular permissions, monitoring, and protective safeguards around every piece of PHI stored or shared. Because PHI often spreads across shared links, external collaborators, and file uploads, healthcare organizations rely on automated tools like Strac to detect, classify, and remediate sensitive data across Box in real time. With the right setup, Box becomes a secure environment; however, without proper controls, it can quickly lead to unintentional HIPAA violations.

🌶️Spicy FAQs on Box HIPPA Compliance

1. What is the biggest HIPAA risk when using Box for PHI?

The biggest HIPAA risk in Box is uncontrolled file sharing across public links, external collaborators, and inherited folder permissions. Even when encryption and a BAA are in place, PHI can silently spread across workspaces without anyone noticing. A single incorrect link can create an immediate HIPAA breach that must be reported. Continuous visibility is the only way to make sure PHI does not leak.

How Strac helps: Strac continuously scans Box for exposed PHI, detects risky links and collaborators, and automatically remediates violations before they escalate.

2. How does a business know if PHI inside Box has been overshared?

Organizations usually discover PHI oversharing long after it happens; Box does not notify you when sensitive files move into risky folders or get shared externally. Compliance teams often rely on periodic audits, which do not catch issues in real time. This leaves a large gap between when exposure happens and when it is discovered.

Here is what oversharing typically looks like:

• Public links containing PHI remaining active for months
• External collaborators retaining access after projects end
• PHI stored in folders with excessive or inherited permissions

How Strac helps: Strac provides real-time alerts, full permission scanning, and automated cleanup so you instantly see and fix PHI exposures in Box.

3. Can Box prevent users from uploading the wrong type of sensitive data?

Box does not stop users from uploading PHI, misclassified data, or files that should never be stored in a shared workspace. HIPAA requires organizations to control what enters the storage environment and to prevent accidental disclosures. Since Box accepts any upload, businesses need automated detection that acts the moment a file is added.

How Strac helps: Strac scans every upload instantly, identifies PHI, and can block, quarantine, or redact sensitive data before it spreads across Box.

4. Does signing a BAA with Box guarantee HIPAA compliance?

A BAA is essential, but it does not enforce secure behavior or ensure PHI remains protected. HIPAA compliance depends on proper access control, link settings, permission management, encryption, and continuous oversight. Without all of these safeguards, PHI can still be exposed even with a BAA in place.

How Strac helps: Strac adds continuous monitoring and automated remediation, giving healthcare organizations the guardrails needed to maintain compliance inside Box.

5. How can healthcare teams maintain HIPAA compliance when collaborating externally through Box?

External collaboration creates high HIPAA risk because vendors and contractors often gain lasting access to PHI. Teams need a clear view of who has access, how files are shared, and which links or folders violate compliance rules. Without automated oversight, PHI can remain exposed long after a project ends.

Key patterns that create violations include:

• Contractors retaining PHI access after contracts end
• Old shared links resurfacing with active PHI
• Cross-domain sharing with non-HIPAA-compliant partners

How Strac helps: Strac continuously audits external access, flags non-compliant sharing, and automatically removes or restricts risky PHI access in Box.