Why is healthcare sector a new target for cyberattacks? Experts insights

Cyberattacks and data breaches in the healthcare sector have witnessed a troubling surge. Recently, the personal information of over 81.5 crore Indians, purportedly obtained from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), was reportedly exposed online. A few days back, patient data from a private laboratory was allegedly compromised, not to mention the episodes of cyberattacks targeting prestigious medical institutions like AIIMS.

In some instances, weak cybersecurity protocols have been responsible for data breaches, while experts suggest that in certain cases, motivated and sophisticated attacks have been carried out on healthcare institutions.

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Why has the healthcare sector become a new target for data breaches?

With the healthcare sector traditionally prioritising patient care and operational efficiency over cybersecurity, outdated software, legacy systems, and inadequate investments in cybersecurity worsen the situation, said Raj Sivaraju, President APAC, Arete, a cyber risk management firm.

According to Arete's data, healthcare ranks fourth among all sectors targeted by ransomware attacks, accounting for 13% of the caseload.

The report also indicates that less than 25% of healthcare organizations have implemented multi-factor authentication (MFA), which is a key security measure. Additionally, just over half of the organizations reported performing regular backups, indicating a gap in data protection practices.

Key security practices to protect against such data leaks

Dr Sanjay Katkar, joint managing director of India-based cybersecurity firm Quick Heal Technologies Limited, underscored key security practices for data protection in healthcare:

• Healthcare organisations should prioritise deploying threat intelligence solutions that offer real-time threat detection and analysis capabilities. This enables rapid threat identification and response, helping healthcare providers stay ahead of cybercriminals and prevent substantial damage.

• Utilise security analytics solutions powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze large data volumes in real-time. This helps in the early detection of potential security threats by identifying patterns and anomalies associated with cyberattacks, enabling swift mitigation.

• Implement advanced identity and access management solutions to enhance security. These solutions provide centralised control over user access to critical data and applications, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.