Security News > 2021 > August > The challenges healthcare CISOs face in an evolving threat landscape

Organizations in the healthcare sector - and especially those engaged in delivering healthcare services - have always been juicy targets for cyber attackers.

While in the past they were mostly after patients' personal, health and financial data these organizations store to be able to provide services, the advent of ransomware has dramatically changed the threat landscape they must face.

In 2020, healthcare breaches increased over 50%. Of the 599 healthcare breaches recorded, 403 were caused by hacking and IT incidents.

"For healthcare organizations, on the other hand, the calculation on paying the ransom includes patient safety. Even the smallest amount of downtime can lead to patient harm, so healthcare organizations are under extreme pressure to pay the ransom and restore critical systems. Attackers are targeting hospitals because even short disruptions in their IT systems can be catastrophic to the communities they serve."

Healthcare professionals using digital systems and devices should not have to compromise between security and efficiency, says Wright.

"In the event of a security incident due to a data breach or ransomware, a hospital could face regulatory fines or penalties, as well as other financial ramifications, such as the cost of hiring digital forensics and incident response experts to identify and address the breach, staffing a call center to handle inquiries from patients, regulatory defense expenses associated with breaches that result in HIPAA violations, patient support and notification services, and so on. In addition to the cost, there can be reputational damage that deteriorates patient trust in their healthcare provider," he pointed out.

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