Healthcare organizations are under constant cyber attack. From ransomware that can cripple hospital operations to data breaches that expose sensitive patient information, the threats are diverse and ever-evolving.
This summary of critical aspects of healthcare cybersecurity can help Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, and other enterprise technology leaders better understand the threat landscape of the healthcare industry, including common threats, best practices, and strategies for protecting your organization in 2025 and beyond.
Healthcare cybersecurity encompasses the technologies, processes, and practices designed to protect healthcare organizations' digital assets from cyber threats. This includes safeguarding electronic health records (EHRs), patient data, medical devices, and other critical systems that support healthcare delivery.
The scope of healthcare cybersecurity is vast, covering:
Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and patient data
Connected medical devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices
Hospital information systems and networks
Telemedicine platforms and remote care technologies
Research databases and clinical trial information
Effective cybersecurity in healthcare is not just about protecting data; it directly impacts patient outcomes, organizational reputation, and operational continuity. A security breach can lead to delayed or compromised patient care, financial losses, and erosion of trust in the healthcare system.
As healthcare organizations increasingly rely on digital systems, they face a growing array of cyber threats that exploit their unique vulnerabilities.
Ransomware attacks can imprison critical data that disrupts patient care, often costing millions of dollars in recovery costs and fines. Phishing scams pilfer user credentials that can be used to infiltrate networks. Insider threats—whether accidental or malicious—can compromise sensitive information from within. And the rise of connected medical devices introduces new vulnerabilities, as hackers can exploit weak security to manipulate equipment or gain unauthorized access.
Together, these threats underscore the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures tailored to the healthcare sector.
Ransomware Attacks: In a ransomware attack, cybercriminals encrypt an organization's data and demand a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key. Healthcare organizations are particularly vulnerable to these attacks due to the critical nature of their data and the need for immediate access to patient information.
Ransomware attacks have become increasingly prevalent in the healthcare sector. In 2024 alone, there were 181 confirmed attacks on healthcare providers involving 25.6 million records. Cybercriminals demanded an average ransom of USD $5.7 million, while victims paid an average of USD $900,000. In 2024, the average ransom demand was USD $1.06 million, with a total of 22 cases worth USD $23.2 million.
According to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), ransomware attacks in the healthcare sector surged in 2023. The agency documented a 128% increase in U.S.-based attacks, with 258 victims versus 113 in 2022. Similarly, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) noted that over 630 ransomware attacks hit healthcare globally in 2023, with more than 460 striking the United States.
The impact of ransomware goes beyond financial losses, as it can disrupt patient care, render EHRs inaccessible, increase complications and mortality, force the cancellation of tests and procedures, increase the risk of errors, and damage the organization's reputation.
To mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks, healthcare organizations must implement a multi-layered security approach that includes regular data backups, employee training, network segmentation, and the use of advanced threat detection and response tools.
Phishing Scams: Phishing scams are a common threat in the healthcare industry, where cybercriminals use deceptive emails or messages to trick employees into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links. Healthcare staff may be particularly vulnerable to phishing due to the high volume of emails they receive and the urgency of their work.
The 2021 HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey revealed that 57% of respondents identified phishing as their primary security incident. These security events led to data breaches affecting hundreds of thousands to millions of records when employees disclosed credentials or installed malware from phishing emails. A Paubox survey also noted that employees flag just 5% of recognized phishing attacks to their security teams.
Ongoing education and training are essential to combat phishing scams. Healthcare organizations should regularly train employees to recognize phishing attempts, report suspicious emails, and follow best practices for email security.
Insider Threats: Insider threats can be either accidental or malicious. Accidental insiders may unintentionally compromise security by mishandling data or falling victim to phishing scams. Malicious insiders, on the other hand, may deliberately misuse their access to steal or damage data.
The Ponemon Institute’s 2025 Costs of Insider Risks Global Report showed that the total average annual cost of an insider risk rose to USD $17.4 million in 2024, an increase over USD $16.2 million in 2023. Overall, there were 7,868 incidents, with 23 per organization. When broken down, 75% of incidents were due to negligent or accidental activities, while 25% were attributed to malicious insider attacks.
Accidental insider breaches can also lead to data exposure, regulatory fines such as HIPAA penalties up to USD $1.5 million per violation, and operational disruptions, along with possible prison time of up to 10 years.
To mitigate insider threats, healthcare organizations should implement access controls, monitor user activity, and conduct regular audits. Role-based authentication and the principle of least privilege can help data access so employees can see what they need for their job.
Medical Device Vulnerabilities: The increasing connectivity of medical devices to hospital networks creates potential entry points for cybercriminals. Unauthorized access to medical devices can lead to manipulation of critical equipment, putting patient safety at risk.
The Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center’s (Health-ISAC) State of Cybersecurity for Medical Devices and Healthcare Systems report revealed that medical devices, including firmware and software, face growing security risks. These risks stem from critical and high-rated vulnerabilities affecting connected devices and healthcare applications.
The study investigated 117 medical devices and healthcare application vendors and their 966 products across three classes of medical devices and healthcare IT. Researchers learned:
Class I medical devices had 25 vulnerabilities.
Class II medical devices contained 2 vulnerabilities.
Class III medical devices possessed 292 vulnerabilities.
Healthcare IT had 741 vulnerabilities.
What should healthcare organizations do? They should follow FDA guidance on medical device cybersecurity, which includes regular updates, vulnerability assessments, and the implementation of security controls to protect connected devices.
Data breaches in the healthcare industry severely compromise patients by exposing private medical and personal information to unauthorized parties. These incidents disrupt critical healthcare operations, delaying patient care and straining resources across affected organizations. Financially, they impose massive costs, including regulatory fines and recovery efforts, often reaching millions of dollars per breach. A single HIPAA violation can cost upwards of USD $1.5 million per violation with the added potential of prison time. The long-term impact includes eroded trust from patients and lasting reputational harm that can undermine a healthcare provider’s credibility.
Patient Care Disruptions: Cyberattacks can cause significant operational disruptions, particularly in the case of ransomware attacks. These disruptions can lead to delayed or canceled tests or procedures, increased patient wait times, and a reduced capacity to provide care. In severe cases, attacks may force healthcare facilities to divert patients to other hospitals or temporarily shut down, or suffer more dire consequences Researchers at Health Services Research determined that hospital data breaches were associated with heart attack mortality. They compared hospitals with and without data breaches for the study. They specifically analyzed death rates in the years following admission. They found a 0.23 percentage point increase in mortality rate 30-days post-breach. That number grew to 0.36 percentage points two years following the breach, and 0.35 points three years afterwards.
Reputational Damage: Data breaches can significantly harm a healthcare organization's reputation, eroding patient trust and loyalty. Patients may seek care elsewhere if they feel their personal information is not secure. Negative publicity surrounding a breach can also impact an organization's ability to attract and retain top talent.
Legal and Compliance Risks: Healthcare organizations that fail to protect patient data face legal and regulatory consequences, including HIPAA violations and fines, state and federal investigations, and class-action lawsuits from affected patients. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights imposed USD $13.6 million in fines related to HIPAA violations.
Financial Costs: Data breaches can result in significant financial costs for healthcare organizations, including regulatory fines, lawsuits, incident response, and recovery efforts. According to IBM Security's "Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024," the average cost of a data breach in the healthcare industry was USD $9.77 million per breach, leaving it in the top spot, a place held since 2011.
Best practices in healthcare cybersecurity are vital to counter today’s sophisticated threats targeting sensitive patient data. Effective cybersecurity in healthcare is crucial to protect sensitive patient information from escalating cyber threats. Consider activities involving regular risk assessments, strong access controls, data encryption and backup, cloud data protection, network monitoring, and automated tools.
Conduct Regular Risk Assessments: Conducting regular risk assessments is essential for identifying and prioritizing potential vulnerabilities. Healthcare organizations should inventory all devices and systems that store or process sensitive data, assess the likelihood and potential impact of various threat scenarios, develop and implement risk mitigation strategies, and engage stakeholders and third-party experts early and often.
Implement Robust Access Controls: Implementing robust access controls, such as the Zero Trust model and role-based authentication, can help protect healthcare data. Access controls ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information, reducing the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access.
Encrypt and Back Up Patient Data: Regular backups and encryption of patient data are critical for protecting against data breaches and ransomware attacks. Data should be encrypted both in transit and at rest to defend its confidentiality and integrity. Regular backups protect data so it can be restored in the event of a cyber incident.
Leverage Cloud Data Protection: Secure cloud solutions offer advantages such as scalability and agility in threat response. Healthcare organizations can benefit from cloud data protection by leveraging advanced security features and ensuring that data is stored and processed securely.
Monitor Networks for Cyber Threats: Continuous monitoring is essential for detecting and responding to threats promptly. Healthcare organizations should deploy real-time network monitoring solutions to identify anomalous activity, leverage threat intelligence feeds to maintain awareness of emerging risks, and develop a comprehensive incident response plan for swift threat containment and mitigation.
Discover and Protect Sensitive Patient Data: Automated tools can facilitate the identification and protection of sensitive data. Healthcare organizations should utilize data discovery solutions to identify Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII), implement a robust data classification and prioritization framework, and enforce appropriate security controls based on the sensitivity level of the data.
From ransomware crippling operations to phishing and insider risks exposing data, healthcare organizations must prioritize vigilance to protect patient care and trust. Best practices—like encryption, access controls, and continuous monitoring—offer a lifeline, building resilience against these pervasive dangers.
The stakes extend beyond data, directly affecting patient outcomes and organizational survival in an interconnected world. Data breaches in 2024 cost healthcare an average of $9.77 million per incident, per IBM, while Sophos reported a 67% ransomware surge—figures that underscore the urgency of action. Regular risk assessments and staff training can thwart vulnerabilities, turn potential crises into manageable challenges and safeguard both organizational finances and reputation.
Ultimately, healthcare cybersecurity is about more than compliance—it’s a commitment to patient safety and operational integrity in 2025 and beyond as healthcare organizations must work to continuously update, audit, and refine their security strategies. By embracing these tactics, healthcare systems can not only mitigate risks but also rebuild trust and maintain their critical role in today’s world. The path forward demands proactive investment in technology and people, securing a future where healthcare thrives despite the cyber threats ahead.