In addition , only 24 % of healthcare organisations were able to disrupt a ransomware attack before the attackers encrypted their data – down from 34 % in 2022 ; this is the lowest rate of disruption reported by the sector over the past three years .

Additional key findings from the report include :

» In 37 % of ransomware attacks where data was successfully encrypted , data was also stolen , suggesting a rise in the ‘ double dip ’ method

» Healthcare organisations are now taking longer to recover , with 47 % recovering in a week , compared to 54 % last year

» The overall number of ransomware attacks against healthcare organisations surveyed declined from 66 % in 2022 to 60 % this year

» Compromised credentials were the number one root cause of ransomware attacks against healthcare organisations , followed by exploits

» The number of healthcare organisations surveyed that paid ransom payments declined from 61 % last year to 42 % this year . This is lower than the cross-sector average of 46 %

José Antonio Alcaraz Pérez , Head of Information Systems and Communications at Cruz Red Andalusia , said : “ In 2016 , the Red Cross Hospital of Córdoba in Spain suffered a ransomware attack that reached servers and encrypted hundreds of files , medical records and other important patient information . It was a major disruption to our operations and interfered with our ability to care for our patients . The stakes are high in ransomware attacks against healthcare organisations – and attackers know that – meaning we ’ ll always be a target . After this ransomware attack , we worked hard with Tekpyme to bolster our defences and now we have reduced our incident response time by 80 %. I think the industry is making improvements , but there is still work to do , because of the constantly changing nature of cybercrime ”.

Sophos recommends the following best practices to help defend against ransomware and other cyberattacks by strengthening defensive shields :

» Security tools such as endpoint protection with strong anti-ransomware and anti-exploit capabilities » Zero Trust Network Access » Adaptive technologies that respond automatically to attacks » 24 / 7 threat detection , investigation and response » Optimise attack preparation , including regular backups , practising data recovery etc .

» Maintain security hygiene �

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