Why health systems are big targets for ransomware

Ransomware attacks are big business for cyberthieves, and they’re looking to make a bundle off hospitals.

Health systems are an appealing target for cyber attackers because they store troves of sensitive data within IT systems that rely on wireless technology—leaving hospitals vulnerable to hacks, according to the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

In short, there are ample ways for a cyberthief to sneakily introduce malware—or malicious software that’s installed to gain unauthorized access to a hospital’s IT system.

Malware allows attackers to gain access to data and encrypt it, which makes reading a medical record, for example, impossible. The cyberthieves then hit hospitals with a ransom demand—typically to be paid in cryptocurrency because digital asset trading is more difficult to track—to reverse the damage and avoid affecting patient care.

The type of attack typically “affects not only the encrypted databases and devices, but also the operations and business revenues of healthcare organizations,” according to a report from cybersecurity firm Sophos. It found that the number of ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations doubled in a single year, and that two-thirds were hit just last year. (Apparently, even fictitious hospitals aren’t immune.)

Jon Moore, chief risk officer and head of consulting services for Nashville-based healthcare cybersecurity firm Clearwater, told Healthcare Brew that the damages are difficult to pinpoint but are likely in the billions.

“Of all the various types of cyber attacks which we are faced with—which would include data theft, business email compromises,” added John Riggi, national adviser for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association, “the ransomware attacks are the ones we are most concerned with because they have the potential to disrupt and delay healthcare delivery and potentially risk patient safety.”