More than a third of healthcare organizations aren’t ready for cyberattacks: report

A recent Software Advice survey reveals that over a quarter of ransomware incidents in healthcare directly affect patient care. Nearly half of affected organizations report consequences on patient data, with 34% unable to recover the compromised data afterward. The study underscores the costly downtime and disruption of critical procedures caused by cyberattacks, yet only 63% of organizations claim to have a cybersecurity response plan.

In the past three years, over 30% of healthcare institutions have experienced cyberattacks, with a 256% increase in major breaches involving hacking reported to the HHS Office for Civil Rights in the last five years. Inadequate encryption measures have made healthcare a prime target for hackers, prompting regulators to propose enforceable cybersecurity standards.

Despite the escalating threat, 37% of healthcare organizations lack a cyberattack contingency plan. Additionally, 55% of medical practices grant employees unnecessary data access, contributing to breaches resulting from human error, the report highlights.