Healthcare will see a substantial increase of data stealing attacks

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, healthcare data accounted for 43 percent of major data breaches reported in 20131. Medical records and patient data are logical targets for cybercriminals. Healthcare records hold a treasure trove of data that is valuable to an attacker. No other single type of record contains as much Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that can be used in a multitude of different follow-up attacks and various types of fraud.

Healthcare records not only contain vital information on the identity of an individual (name, address, social security) but also often link to financial and insurance information. Access to PII allows an attacker to commit identity fraud, while the financial information can lead to financial exploitation. This is a logical and profitable secondary attack area for cybercriminals who have already dealt in stolen credit card data.

Healthcare professionals are also at risk. Often, they have an increased tendency to try and get around IT security policies in order to better serve their patients. In a medical emergency, the stakes couldn’t be higher. When a doctor or nurse needs access to computing resources or data because a patient’s health is at risk, IT policy takes a back seat to the patient’s health. In the heat of the moment, such behavior can lead to increased risk to cyber threats or insecure access and storage of sensitive information.

This is also occurring in a healthcare environment that is still undergoing a transformation to digital and electronic records. While there has been a huge political push to move to electronic health care records, hospital and medical care security (especially in smaller offices) has not yet caught up to the challenge of protecting this valuable patient data. As a result, targeted cyber-attacks against healthcare organizations.                   

Will continue their rapid rise in frequency and success.