With more than 300 data breaches already reported in 2024, the US healthcare industry continues to face significant cyber security vulnerabilities that threaten the sensitive information of patients.
With more than 300 data breaches already reported in 2024, the US healthcare industry continues to face significant cyber security vulnerabilities that threaten the sensitive information of patients.
In April, US healthcare giant Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. suffered a data breach that affected 13.4 million patients, making it one of the biggest healthcare data breaches of all time. However, cyber threats like this in the US healthcare industry aren’t a new phenomenon – from 2021-2023, the industry experienced more than 700 data breaches annually. In January 2023, healthcare benefits management company NationsBenefits reported a breach due to a vulnerability in their file transfer software which impacted more than 3 million individuals. The hackers subsequently requested a ransom to keep the stolen data private.
Through the sheer number of data breaches hitting the healthcare industry, it’s clear that patient data is a valuable commodity. But why is it so sought after – and what do hackers do with stolen patient data? Read the following to find out the reasons:
https://www.f-secure.com/en/articles/us-healthcare-data-breaches-why-do-hackers-want-patient-data