Ponemon Institute Study: Healthcare is Biggest Cyber-Attack Target

According to the Ponemon Institute’s Fifth Annual Benchmark Study on Privacy and Security of Healthcare Data, healthcare cyber-attacks have grown by more than 125 percent in the last five years, making “criminal attacks” the number-one root cause of healthcare data breaches. While accidental data breaches, such as employee negligence and lost/stolen devices, are still prevalent, there is a major shift in the origin of breaches that is now leading to more and more criminal attacks. According to industry studies, there are two main reasons why cyber criminals are setting their sights towards healthcare information: Healthcare organizations manage a massive bank of financially beneficial personal information and, most importantly, these organizations do not have means, methods, and technology needed to prevent attacks and protect data.

In the last five years, the Ponemon Institute found that 91 percent of healthcare organizations and 59 percent of business associates experienced a data breach. This is an incredible majority, which helps to highlight the dire need for greater data protections in the healthcare industry.

So, what can you do to protect your organization from cyber-attacks and potential data breaches? For your first step, please visit our HIPAA Services page, which will highlight the services we provide to protect your organization. And, to read the Ponemon Institute’s full study findings, please visit their website here.