Healthcare data is under attack as a new wave of connected devices leaves operators at risk from cyber thieves.
Cyber attack and data theft protection company, Raytheon/Websense, has announced the findings of the Websense Security Labs 2015Healthcare Drill-Down Report , examining the current state of cyber threats and data-stealing attacks against the increasingly-digital healthcare industry.
The report reveals that healthcare is highly targeted and increasingly vulnerable as the next wave of connected devices hits an already-complex technology environment.
“The rapid digitisation of the healthcare industry, when combined with the value of the data at hand, has led to a massive increase in the number of targeted attacks against the sector,” said Carl Leonard, Raytheon/Websense principal security analyst.
“While the finance and retail sectors have long honed their cyber defences, our research illustrates that healthcare organisations 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.”
The proliferation of electronic health records creates a data-heavy environment, while networks comprising thousands of providers present an enormous attack surface
In 2014, Websense identified a 600 % increase in cyber attacks against hospitals within a 10-month period. As a follow up to this discovery, Raytheon/Websense Security Labs recently examined the real-world attack telemetry against healthcare, uncovering new intelligence about the most-prolific and effective cyber attack tools, techniques and security trends impacting the industry.
Top findings show that the healthcare industry sees 340% more security incidents and attacks than the average industry and, as a result, is more likely to be impacted by data theft.
The report states: “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.”
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. And, with many organisations lacking budget and the administrative, technical or organisational skills necessary to detect, mitigate and prevent cyber attacks, advanced malware presents a significant threat to healthcare infrastructure
The findings also show that the healthcare sector is 74% more likely to be impacted by phishing schemes. 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 also 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 organisations worldwide, while Cryptowall encrypts and holds hostage critical healthcare data for ransom.
The report also examines the challenges involved in creating a comprehensive healthcare IT strategy, regional considerations, and the projected impact of connected medical devices to patient security.
Click here for the full report.