Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Healthcare data breaches are on the rise, with a total of 809 data violation cases across the industry in 2023, up from 343 in 2022. The cost of these breaches also soared to $10.93 million last year, an increase of over 53% over the past three years, IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach report reveals. But data breaches aren’t just expensive, they also harm patient privacy, damage organizational reputation, and erode patient trust in healthcare providers.

Password management in the healthcare industry is essential for maintaining the privacy of patient and employee information. HealthITSecurity reports that in just the first three months of 2024, there were over 115 data breaches in the healthcare industry. One of the most recent and largest data breaches in healthcare impacted over 2.3 million patients of Medical Management Resource Group at the end of 2023.

“Safeguarding personal health information (PHI) is governed under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).” Protecting identifiable health data is the responsibility of everyone who comes into contact with it, including covered entities. Healthcare providers, health plan companies, school districts not covered under FERPA, universities, employers, and federal, state, and local government agencies are mandated to protect PHI data from any security risk.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of medications, vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other types of products. To ensure the safety and security of medical devices, the FDA supports a variety of standards and guidelines that medical device manufacturers are highly recommended to follow.

Ransomware is more prolific and expensive than ever. Depending on the source you read, the average or median ransomware payment was at least several hundred thousand dollars to well over several million in 2023. Marsh, a leader in cybersecurity insurance, wrote that its customers paid an average of $6.5 million in ransom in 2023 (after just paying an average of $1.4 million in 2023).

Each day, it seems that we hear of another healthcare organization being compromised by a cyber attack. It is clear that the healthcare industry is the new favorite target amongst cybercriminals. Fortunately, vigorous efforts are available to combat these threats. We recently spoke to Errol Weiss, Chief Security Officer at Health-ISAC. Errol spearheads the information sharing and analysis center, helping to make the healthcare sector better informed and more resilient.

A recent cyberattack on Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago has resulted in a significant data breach, exposing the personal information of 791,000 patients. Despite the hospital's refusal to pay a ransom, a vast amount of sensitive medical data is now at risk. Details of the Attack The cybercriminals infiltrated the hospital's systems, causing severe disruptions to its patient portal, communications, and access to medical records.

Healthcare data security protects patient records from cyber threats and unauthorized access. The increasing use of electronic health records raises concerns about data breaches. Organizations must follow strict security protocols to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance. Healthcare data security is more critical than ever as healthcare systems integrate more digital tools. As risks grow, security measures become increasingly essential.

The US FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have released a joint advisory warning of a social engineering campaign that’s targeting the healthcare industry. “Threat actors are using phishing schemes to steal login credentials for initial access and the diversion of automated clearinghouse (ACH) payments to US controlled bank accounts,” the advisory states.