The healthcare sector, an invaluable pillar of society, has become an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals. The sensitivity of patient data, coupled with the critical nature of healthcare services, makes cybersecurity in this industry paramount.
In recent years, intelligence-powered cybersecurity has emerged as
a crucial defense mechanism for healthcare companies and hospitals, providing advanced threat detection and proactive response capabilities.
Healthcare organizations are prime targets for cyberattacks due to the highly sensitive nature of the data they manage, including personal, financial, and medical information of patients.
In 2023 alone, the healthcare sector experienced over
Cybercriminals value this data for its potential use in identity theft, insurance fraud, and black market sales. Additionally, the critical need for uninterrupted healthcare services makes hospitals and clinics more likely to pay ransoms to restore operations quickly.
The increasing digitalization of healthcare, coupled with often outdated security systems—and the industry’s regulatory complexities, further amplifies its vulnerability to sophisticated cyber threats.
The frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks on healthcare organizations have surged in recent years. According to the 2022
and 2023 Healthcare Data Breach Reports, the healthcare industry experienced an average of more than two data breaches per day, affecting over 50 million individuals each year.
The financial impact is staggering, with the average cost of a data breach in healthcare reaching $10.10 million in 2022 and $10.93 million in 2023, the highest of any industry.
In 2022, there were 707 reported data breaches in the healthcare sector. In 2023, this number increased to 758.
38% of healthcare organizations were hit by ransomware in 2022, with the average cost of recovery reaching $1.85 million. This increased to 41% in 2023, with recovery costs reaching $2.1 million.
98% of healthcare organizations faced phishing attacks in 2022, a major entry point for cyber threats, with a similar percentage in 2023.
Patient records are invaluable on the black market, often worth more than credit card information.
A single healthcare record can fetch up to $250.
The integration of various medical devices and IT systems creates multiple entry points for attackers.
Over 65% of medical devices are connected to the internet.
Strict regulations like HIPAA mandate rigorous data protection standards, adding complexity to cybersecurity strategies. Non-compliance can result in fines up to $1.5 million per violation per year.
Proactive Defense
Traditional cybersecurity measures are often reactive, addressing threats only after they have infiltrated the network. Intelligence powered solutions, however, shift the paradigm to proactive defense. By leveraging real-time threat intelligence from a global network, these solutions identify and neutralize potential threats before they can cause harm.
Healthcare organizations benefit immensely from enhanced visibility into potential threats. With intelligence powered cybersecurity, they can monitor and analyze vast amounts of data in real-time, gaining insights into emerging threats and attack patterns. This visibility is crucial for anticipating and mitigating risks.
Organizations using intelligence powered solutions have reported a 50% reduction in time to detect threats.
Improved threat intelligence can reduce the average time to contain a breach from 287 days to 73 days.
Deploying an intelligence powered cybersecurity solution can significantly reduce the operational burden on healthcare IT teams. Automated threat detection and response capabilities minimize the need for manual intervention, allowing IT professionals to focus on more strategic tasks. Additionally, these solutions offer a cost-effective alternative to building an extensive in-house security infrastructure.
Organizations can save up to 25% on cybersecurity costs by using intelligence powered solutions.
IT teams can reduce time spent on threat analysis by 80%, reallocating resources to more critical areas.
To harness the full potential of intelligence powered cybersecurity, consider these three strategic steps:
Become a Member of a Cyber Security Data
Sharing Community:
Security incidents experienced by one healthcare organization are likely occurring at other facilities as well. Sharing threat data can help everyone defend more effectively. Similarly, geographical communities can share common experiences, IOCs, techniques, and resolutions. Indeed, sharing threat data is becoming mandatory under many applicable regulations. Immediate strategic gains will result from working with experts who can interpret and rapidly deploy the community’s learnings.
Use the Latest Threat Intelligence to Power Real-Time
Protection Technologies:
By leveraging the latest threat intelligence from within the community and across the security industry, and applying it in
real-time to drive an enhanced defensive posture, healthcare organizations can gain a distinct advantage. Malicious and reconnaissance traffic can be blocked from entering the network, eliminating problems before they have a chance to have an impact.
Partner with Cyber Security Experts Leveraging Artificial
and Human Intelligence:
The scale of the cyber protection task is now so overwhelming for any organization that it makes sense to leverage expertise from across the industry. New services can bring more powerful artificial intelligence-enabled tools and deep expertise that will further help defend your organization against threats of all kinds.
Centripetal’s CleanINTERNET® solution introduces a distinctive approach finely tuned to the unique needs of hospitals and healthcare organizations.
In an industry where time is crucial and patient data security is paramount, harnessing real-time threat intelligence from a global network, Centripetal offers visibility into potential threats long before they can impact your network.
This technology acts as a shield, safeguarding sensitive patient information and critical hospital systems.
Senior cybersecurity architect large northeastern health system
CleanINTERNET® is an intelligence powered security solution that leverages high-performance computing technology, patented software algorithms, and highly skilled security analysts to provide a cost-effective alternative protection strategy.
Healthcare providers that have adopted CleanINTERNET® report being impressed by its comprehensive capabilities, far exceeding basic intelligence feeds. Achieving a comparable security posture independently would be financially unfeasible.
CleanINTERNET® offers a revolutionary approach to cybersecurity, prioritizing threat intelligence and shifting from reactive to proactive defense, thereby enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare security teams.
With advanced shielding technology, CleanINTERNET® can eliminate the majority of threats and mitigate the impact of any malicious code that penetrates defenses. This technology blocks malicious network attempts from known sources, prevents outbound activity to malicious domains, and eliminates unnecessary reconnaissance traffic from the hospital’s network.
The stakes have never been higher for healthcare organizations in the realm of cybersecurity. Embracing intelligence powered cybersecurity solutions is not just an option; it’s a necessity.
By being proactive, you can transform your defenses and ensure robust protection for your sensitive data. Take the lead in cybersecurity innovation and safeguard your hospital or healthcare organization against the threats of today and tomorrow.
Is your healthcare organization ready to elevate its cybersecurity strategy to the next level? The tools and strategies are within your reach — seize them to protect your patients and your reputation in an increasingly digital world.
