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Healthcare industry sees red with 340 percent jump in cyber attacks

Healthcare more prone to cyber attacks

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Sonal Desai
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MUMBAI, INDIA: A new survey has revealed that the healthcare industry has witnessed 340 percent more security incidents.

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Some of the key findings include:

•    The healthcare industry sees 340 percent more security incidents and attacks than the average industry and, as a result, is more likely to be impacted by data theft.

•    Medical information is 10 times more valuable on the black market making healthcare a major target for cybercriminals.

•    The proliferation of electronic health records creates a data-heavy environment, while networks comprising thousands of providers present an enormous attack surface.

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•    One in every 600 attacks in the healthcare sector involves advanced malware. In fact, the healthcare sector is four times more likely to be impacted by advanced malware than any other industry.

•    With many organizations lacking budget and the administrative, technical or organizational skills necessary to detect, mitigate and prevent cyber-attacks, advanced malware presents a significant threat to healthcare infrastructure.

•    The healthcare sector is 74 percent more likely to be impacted by phishing schemes.

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•    A lack of effective security awareness training and employee security awareness programs often compounds the danger of increased phishing attempts, resulting in more security incidents.

•    Healthcare is 4.5 times more likely to be impacted by Cryptowall and three times more likely to be impacted by Dyre. First used to target the financial sector successfully stealing hundreds of millions of dollars, new exploit capabilities make Dyre malware a significant data loss threat for healthcare organizations worldwide, while Cryptowall encrypts and holds hostage critical healthcare data for ransom.

“The rapid digitization of the healthcare industry when combined with the value of the data at hand, has led to massive increase in the number of targeted attacks against the sector,” said Carl Leonard, principal security analyst, Raytheon|Websense that conducted the survey.

“While the finance and retail sectors have long honed their cyber defenses, our research illustrates that healthcare organizations must quickly advance their security posture to meet the challenges inherent in the digital economy – before it becomes the primary source of stolen personal information.”

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