Seven Cybersecurity Statistics Every Healthcare Professional Should Know

Health centers and medical practices store a plethora of sensitive patient information. So, it’s no surprise that healthcare facilities are the number one target for hackers. Healthcare experienced upwards of 3 times more cyberattacks than any other industry (Cisco).  Ignoring this threat is not a wise choice. If you still aren’t convinced that you need to check, and then recheck, your security protocols, here are seven more statistical examples of why you need to make this a priority right now.

• Healthcare is the top target of hackers, accounting for 41% of the total incidents that occurred in 2018. (https://www.beazley.com/news/2019/beazley_breach_insights_february_2019.html)
• Why hack? Hackers breach security mainly for financial gain. 86% of breaches were financially motivated in 2019. (https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/dbir/?cpur=1&#industries)
• 98% of IoT devices are unencrypted and unsecured. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cybersecurity/83-of-medical-imaging-devices-operate-on-outdated-software-report.html)
• On average, healthcare organizations spent $1.4 million to recover from cyberattacks in 2018.  (https://www.radware.com/ert-report-2018/)
• Six in ten healthcare IT professionals state that email was the most common security breach. (HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey)
• Electronic Health Records can be sold for as much as $50 each. In comparison, social security numbers sell for $1 on the black market. (http://www.illuminweb.com/wp-content/uploads/ill-mo-uploads/103/2418/health-systems-cyber-intrusions.pdf)
• 87% of healthcare IT leaders claim they lack the proper security personnel to protect information. (https://healthitsecurity.com/news/87-health-orgs-lack-security-personnel-for-effective-cyber-posture)

Hopefully, these stats make it crystal clear that you need to make cybersecurity a top priority at your health center. That’s why at Practice Management we implement security protocols such as penetration testing, data loss detection, and multi-factor authentication. Patient information is too important to leave to chance.