Healthcare providers face growing risks from cyberattacks, which makes healthcare cybersecurity more critical than ever. Federal agencies, including the FBI, have issued warnings of heightened and imminent cyber threats targeting hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers. Sensitive patient data and critical systems are at stake, and healthcare cybersecurity should be a top priority. The future of healthcare cybersecurity depends on vigilance today.
The Healthcare Industry is Under Attack
Cybercriminals view the healthcare sector as one of the most attractive targets for attack. Despite increased awareness, the importance of healthcare cybersecurity continues to grow as threats emerge. Ransomware, phishing, device exploitation, supply chain attacks, and insider threats all demonstrate how vulnerable the healthcare industry is to cybercriminals.
Top Threats for Healthcare Cybersecurity
In recent years, industry reports have shown that healthcare cybersecurity has become a target for threat actors. These criminals use multiple strategies to attack systems, disrupt operations, and expose sensitive data. According to the HIPPA Journal, in 2023, about 725 data breaches took place, and across those breaches, there were more than 133 million records that were exposed. Let’s look at some of the top causes of healthcare breaches identified in Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report:
- System intrusion: credential theft and ransomware
- Web application: exploiting weak/outdated software
- Social engineering: phishing attacks targeting staff members
These findings highlight the importance of cybersecurity for healthcare and support the idea that most breaches are the cause of human error. Training and support for employees is critical to ensuring a safe and confidential workplace.
It’s Not If – It’s When
There is incredible risk not just for health care executives, but also the public. We sat down with David C. Blake, PhD, JD, to learn more. Dr. Blake is a former vice president at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he served as Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer. We asked Dr. Blake two questions:
- What are today’s major challenges in protecting medical records and health information?
- What are the consequences for health care providers when confidential information is seen by the wrong person or disclosed to those who have no right of access?
The Ease of (Wrongly) Accessing Medical Records
“There is always the possibility of someone inside a health care organization inappropriately accessing and/or disclosing a patient’s medical information for nefarious reasons,” Blake told me, “but the greater dangers are simple mistakes and idle curiosity.”
The doctor describes how easily medical information might be misdirected in the course of everyday business operations. From faxing information to a wrong health care provider or emailing information to other staff who have no permission to receive the information. Then there are the cases of staff inappropriately accessing records (simply out of a curiosity about the condition of a patient who might be well-known, a family member, or a fellow employee).
This also supports the challenges in security flaws with electronic health records (EHRs). For example, nurses can access nursing records of any patient in the system, even if that patient is not their own.
That’s, unfortunately, just how EHRs work.
What Does This Mean for Healthcare Executives?
Health care providers face a legal standard of strict liability when it comes to protecting patients’ medical records. Penalties and fines are imposed on providers when intentional wrongdoing occurs, but there are also penalties and fines—often quite substantial—even when done unintentionally.
“Preventing intentional wrongdoing is one thing but trying to minimize mistakes and curiosity is a wholly different challenge for executives in health care.”
—David C. Blake, PhD, JD
Luckily, executives have a number of ways to address and reduce these health care cybersecurity risks:
1. Training for Healthcare Professionals
“Training is one way, but the training needs to be repetitive, required of every staff member, and clear regarding the consequences for not following the rules,” Blake advised. He emphasized, “Employees need to know that there are no second chances when it comes to violating the rules regarding protecting a patient’s medical records.” The confidentiality of patient records can be at risk because of the skill of cybercriminals, but also the negligence of untrained staff members.
2. Security & Monitoring for EHR
Electronic alerts, stronger password requirements, and other layered safeguards help to protect individual records from unauthorized access. Many provider organizations also institute monitoring tools that track activity within electronic health records (EHR). Blake explained that “Catching an inappropriate access shortly after it occurs can greatly reduce the consequences of the violation”.
3. Consulting IT Professionals
Healthcare organizations that consult with IT professionals gain access to expert support and guidance to strengthen their cybersecurity measures. “Federal and state statutory and regulatory requirements for protecting the privacy of medical information and the security of EHRs are incredibly complicated and challenging” Blake noted. He warns “the stakes are too high for relying on someone who is not professionally trained and experienced in HIPAA and state privacy rules.” This type of security is well worth the cost to properly protect your organization and your patients.
Why Healthcare Cybersecurity Matters
Some healthcare organizations may have strong internal IT teams in place—and that’s great—but many health care executives are facing overload, budget constraints, and confusion surrounding cybersecurity. That’s what managed IT services providers (MSPs) bring to the conversation. Professional MSP’s bring specialized expertise in HIPAA compliance and SOC 2 Type II certification, along with a BAA (Business Associate Agreement) for IT liability.
For healthcare organizations, providers, medical professionals, and patients, effective cybersecurity prevents fines, protects sensitive data, and maintains compliance for more effective care. Interested to see where your cybersecurity stands or in need of technological support? Reach out to us today to discuss your needs.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in 2017 and has since been updated for accuracy and relevance.
