SECURITY
CYBERATTACKS CAUSE HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS TO EXPERIENCE INCREASED MORTALITY RATES
Proofpoint , a leading cybersecurity and compliance company , and Ponemon Institute , a top IT security research organisation , have released the results of a new study on the effect of cybersecurity in healthcare . The report , Cyber Insecurity in Healthcare : The Cost and Impact on Patient Safety and Care , found that 89 % of the surveyed organisations experienced an average of 43 attacks in the past 12 months – almost one attack per week . More than 20 % of the organisations suffering from the four most common types of attacks – cloud compromise , ransomware , supply chain and business email compromise ( BEC )/ spoofing phishing – experienced increased patient mortality rates .
This study , which surveyed 641 healthcare IT and security practitioners , found that the most common consequences of attacks are delayed procedures and tests , resulting in poor patient outcomes for 57 % of the healthcare providers and increased complications from medical procedures for nearly half of them . The type of attack most likely to have a negative impact on patient care is ransomware , leading to procedure or test delays in 64 % of the organisations and longer patient stays for 59 % of them .
Other key findings of the report are that :
» Internet of Medical Things ( IoMT ) is a top concern . While 64 % of respondents are concerned about medical device security , only 51 % include them in their cybersecurity strategy .
» Healthcare organisations feel both most vulnerable to and most prepared for cloud compromise . Three-quarters of respondents said their organisations are vulnerable to a cloud compromise and 54 % of respondents said that in the past two years their organisations experienced at least one cloud compromise .
» Ransomware is the second-biggest vulnerability . The majority of those surveyed ( 72 %) believed their organisations are vulnerable to a ransomware attack and 60 % said this is the type of attack that concerns them the most . Consequently , 62 % have taken steps to prevent and respond to ransomware .
» Low preparedness puts patients at risk . Although 71 % of participants feel they are vulnerable to supply chain attacks , and 64 % feel the same about BEC and spoofing phishing , only 44 % and 48 % have a documented response to those attacks , respectively .
" Healthcare has traditionally fallen behind other sectors in addressing vulnerabilities to the growing number of cybersecurity attacks and this inaction has a direct negative impact on patients ’ safety and wellbeing ," said Ryan Witt , Healthcare Cybersecurity Leader , Proofpoint .
" As long as cybersecurity remains a low priority , healthcare providers will continue to endanger their patients . To avoid devastating consequences , healthcare organisations must understand how cybersecurity affects their patient care and take the steps toward better preparedness that protects people and defends data ." �
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