You have A LOT on your plate as a healthcare administrator in 2023. From an increase in workplace violence and the need to keep medications out of unauthorized hands, to an abundance of private data to keep safe and costly medical equipment and supplies to protect, it might feel like your to-do list goes on and on. And, we don’t have to tell you, but the healthcare sector is expanding and evolving at an increasingly rapid pace.

The role humans play in cybersecurity generally focuses on how people can be the weakest link in an organization’s defense structure. However, when it comes to securing the healthcare industry, people are still paramount, but for quite different reasons.

The digital transformation of healthcare, involving patients, staff, doctors, and technology, presents significant challenges to security teams in terms of skills and capacity. This challenge can be seen in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights which reported 609 data breaches with more than 500 records being compromised in 2021.

A US hospital closed two years after a ransomware incident, highlighting that the health sector continues to be under threat.

In an era where digital data is integral to the efficient operation of the health care industry, the importance of robust cyber security solutions cannot be overstated. The sensitive nature of patient data combined with the industry’s increasing reliance on technology, significantly escalates the potential risks and consequences of cyber threats.

The ransomware, malware and phishing attacks going on in the healthcare industry are quite alarming these days. The customers' data in the healthcare industry is more sensitive than in most industries, and this has proven to be a sweet spot for threat actors. Recent research by Infloblox reported that in 2022, there were over 546 major data breaches due to malicious activity. This follows a 4% increase over the 521 major data breaches reported by healthcare institutions in 2023.

The healthcare sector has been under constant threat from cybercriminals due to the sensitive nature of patient data and the valuable information held by healthcare providers. This blog analyzes the ransomware landscape for the healthcare sector for the years 2022-2023. This report uses data compiled for the recently released Trustwave SpiderLabs research: Cybersecurity in the Healthcare Industry: Actionable Intelligence for an Active Threat Landscape report.

With its treasure trove of sensitive information swirling inside vulnerable legacy software, the healthcare industry fits the profile of an almost textbook-perfect cyber attack target. This is why ransomware attacks are so popular within the healthcare sector. Threat actors have very little trouble getting into the industry’s network, and they know the data they compromise is too valuable to end up on the dark web.

In the current digital age, healthcare providers are handling increasing volumes of data, emphasizing the urgent need for effective and accurate data management tools. IDcentral’s DeepScan, an AI-powered Document Extraction & Verification API, steps into this crucial role, revolutionizing the way the healthcare industry handles data extraction and verification.