Three steps to strengthen healthcare organisations against a growing cyber threat
By Jim Wetekamp, CEO, Riskonnect
Strategic Risk Europe

Cyberattacks within the healthcare sector rose a staggering 55% in 2020. The average cost to recover patient records jumped 16% over the past year.

Hospitals and other institutions are allocating more resources on both defense and offense against these increasingly severe and targeted attacks.

Healthcare providers are prime targets for cyberattacks because they handle personal data that is attractive and lucrative for bad actors, with cyber criminals earning up to $1,000 per stolen medical record. Further, organisations became more susceptible to successful phishing schemes as a result of strained resources and stretched capacity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. All it takes is for one tired employee to let their guard down and inadvertently click on a suspicious link to bring operations to a standstill.

The industry’s defense mechanisms and ability to identify and mitigate cyberattacks also lag behind other sectors. Healthcare organisations take an average of 236 days to detect a data breach and 93 days for containment, compared to 207 days and 73 days for peers in other industries.

There are several strategic areas in which to focus on cybersecurity risk management investments to strengthen your infrastructure against future attacks. Here are three moves you can make now to boost protection against cyber-risk events.

Read the full article in Strategic Risk Europe >>