Cyberattacks increasing at alarming rate in healthcare industry

Cybersecurity firm Proofpoint and research organization Ponemon Institute polled more than 600 IT security professionals who work within the healthcare industry regarding ransomware and cyberattacks. Alarmingly, the survey reported 90% of the respondent’s facilities suffered a cyberattack in the past year.

A similar survey conducted by Ponemon last year found that just over 40% of respondents suffered a ransomware attack in the previous year.

The most revealing portion of this survey is that many report that the cyberattacks affected patient care. The study group consisted of 43 various type of healthcare organizations, including hospitals and insurance providers.

The survey reports 53% of the respondents organization has suffered a ransomware attack within the past year. Nine percent of respondents said their organizations suffered between 6-10 ransomware attacks within the past year.

Ransomware increasingly is becoming a problem within every facet of industry, but the healthcare industry has some of the largest stakes as it could deny critical medical aid to patients. On the worst case scenario, patients unable to utilize life-saving medical equipment can be killed.

In September 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported an Alabama woman sued a local hospital when a ransomware attack allegedly contributed to her baby’s death.

Ransomware attacks are like many other cyberattacks—it’s very difficult to firmly attribute. It’s unclear who was responsible for the September 2021 attack, but the Wall Street Journal report it was likely the Russian-based Ryuk gang. The group attacked at least 235 hospitals through June 2021.

Help may not be on the way for the healthcare industry, as like many businesses, IT is frequently under very tight budgets and small teams to manage.

Ryan Witt, healthcare cybersecurity leader with Proofpoint adds, “As long as cybersecurity remains a low priority, healthcare providers will continue to endanger their patients.”