Common cyber threats targeting the healthcare industry

Across the globe, the rate of cybercrimes has been growing exponentially. Organizations constantly look over their shoulders to see if they're at risk of cyberattacks, and the protective role of IT admins is becoming harder than ever before. With admins being entrusted with the responsibility of protecting data, admins need to secure their confidential information, such as contracts, financial statements, intellectual property, and customer data.

While each industry has its own preferences, heavily regulated industries have to be extra careful about their data security. Healthcare has some of the most sensitive data, but it's not just financial loss and the healthcare provider's data that's at stake. What's even more important is the patients' health information. Understanding the value of this data, hackers are trying harder than ever to get past the defenses set up by healthcare organizations.

With the value of healthcare data at an all time-high, institutions are losing lots of money in cyberattacks. In fact, according to the 2024 DBIR (Data Breach Investigations Report), the average cost of a data breach for a healthcare company is around $9.77 million. 

With healthcare under constant threat, the first step to combat these attacks is understanding the common threats posed. Let's take a look at these attacks and the precautionary measures that organizations should put in place.

Why is the healthcare industry a common target?

The healthcare industry is of high value to the community, with professionals saving lives every day. Cybercriminals have caught on to the value of the data this sector deals with, and they're specifically launching attacks that target the industry. 

Some of the reasons why threat actors target the industry specifically include:
Monetary benefits from confidential patient data: Hospitals store enormous amounts of data related to the critical care of patients. Patient records contain data about past ailments, comorbidities, prescribed medication, any drug trials they're in, and much more. This information can fetch millions of dollars for threat actors if they decide to sell it on the dark web. Pharmaceutical companies might benefit from this data because it gives them an insight into patterns and trends in health-related information. 

Potential entry points through medical devices: Like every other industry, healthcare has its vulnerabilities. In fact, owing to the high volume of medical equipment, common computer systems, and monitoring systems spread throughout a healthcare institution, hackers have many ways to gain access to sensitive data. If these devices don't have robust security systems in place, hackers can easily penetrate past weak defenses.

Legacy technology systems: Most healthcare professionals have used some technologies for years, making them resistant to change. The learning curve that comes with learning new technologies takes time, which is usually in short supply. So they stick to technologies that they've always used. Unfortunately, these can be potential pitfalls because the security defenses in these software or hardware may be quite outdated, providing an easy point of entry for cybercriminals.

Data accessibility needs can cause vulnerabilities: Healthcare data needs to be commonly accessed across locations and devices. The actions that happen within an institution are time-sensitive and may require immediate access. This mandates the need to make data easily accessible with necessary security measures. In this process, healthcare providers fail to account for the required security measures, leaving room for multiple vulnerable entry points. Finding that one vulnerability is all attackers need to gain access to sensitive data. 

Insufficient employee training: In every organization, human error is one of the most common causes of data breaches and cyberattacks. Combating these threats requires structured training to identify potential online risks and the best ways to deal with them. While most industries have implemented security awareness training, the healthcare industry lags behind. Professionals lack the time, resources, and technological exposure, making it easier for hackers to get past a healthcare organization's defenses.

Common threats for the healthcare industry

Hackers deploy many sophisticated attack mechanisms to breach healthcare professionals' accounts. Let's look at the most common ones.

Ransomware attacks

Healthcare data contains some of the most sensitive and personally identifiable information there is. Threat actors find this kind of data particularly tempting because organizations will go to great lengths to regain access to their data—without it being leaked on the dark web. 

In ransomware attacks, threat actors identify sensitive data and find ways to encrypt it. This locks all users with access out of their own systems. Hackers demand a ransom payment, only after which they'll provide the key or decrypt the data for access. The main entry point for these attacks is a phishing email. In this email, hackers will nudge the recipients to download a file that contains a virus or some malicious code that gains access to the system and locks them out. 

Institutions cannot go without accessing their healthcare data, even for a brief period. So they tend to abide by whatever's demanded of them to get the data back. This makes ransomware attacks one of the most lucrative threats, especially for the healthcare industry. To prevent these attacks, train your users to steer clear of links or attachments embedded in emails from suspicious or unknown senders. Files containing viruses or malware are sent as .exe attachments. Train your employees to identify and avoid engaging with these unknown senders to stay safe. 

Phishing attempts

Healthcare institutions are constantly in a state of rush. There are emergencies to deal with nearly every minute. This drastically reduces the time they have for other tasks, which can potentially impact their attention span on anything other than patient care. Hackers exploit this by targeting hospitals or other healthcare institutions with phishing emails.

Healthcare professionals may not be able to spend sufficient time on an email to identify the potential markers of phishing emails. If the email sender creates a sense of urgency by requesting immediate access to a patient portal, the recipient might comply with the request. In certain cases, under false pretenses, hackers redirect recipients to phishing websites where they're asked to enter the account credentials for verification or other purposes. The threat actor gains personnel credentials from the redirected website and uses it for their own benefit. 

The data exposed through such methods can include account credentials used to access patient data or institutional data. To avoid falling prey to these emails, doctors and other personnel should always validate the source of their emails before sharing any sensitive information. Checking the email sender's domain and display name, along with the reply-to email address in the sender information, is always helpful. 

Email compromise

Email compromise refers to any unauthorized access of email accounts by threat actors or other malicious sources. When an account is compromised, the hacker can get access to all of the patient data present, which could lead to disastrous consequences. Threat actors may gain access to accounts containing important information through various methods, such as ransomware attacks or phishing emails.

If the healthcare provider falls prey to either of these attacks, the hacker extracts the credentials from them, logs into the system, and carries out the attack. The hacker may penetrate defenses set up by the company either through a password leak or an old breach, insert themselves into an existing conversation, monitor them, and take control of the information that benefits them.

Because of the sensitivity of healthcare organizations' data, email compromise is a common method used to gain access to patient data. To avoid these attacks and protect their accounts, healthcare personnel must be careful about where they enter their credentials. If their email address is synced with medical equipment, it's important to log out once the required tests are performed and recorded. 

Data breaches

The healthcare industry is under constant threat of data breaches. The confidential and sensitive nature of the data is attractive to many hackers. Any such data breached and posted on the dark web garners interest from companies that might benefit from healthcare data. Threat actors carry out any of the mechanisms we've discussed to get access to accounts containing important information. 

Sometimes, the attack goes on in the background without the account owner even being aware of the invasion. The hackers silently monitor and steal the data that might be of value to them. Other times, the hacker takes over the account, continues ongoing conversations under the pretext of being the owner, gathers confidential information, and even threatens to delete the data. This puts healthcare companies at risk of losing data without any backup.

Healthcare institutions are responsible for being prepared to deal with any such breach by implementing disaster recovery mechanisms. Organizations also need to comply with HIPAA, because this regulation accounts for the best practices to be followed in such scenarios. Having a password policy in place and regularly checking for any password or data leaks will also help avert a bigger crisis. 

Insider threats

Insider threats refer to an organization's employee or stakeholder compromising sensitive information, either knowingly or unknowingly. Employees with sufficient system and network permissions are always a threat if they're not properly trained in the security protocols of the organization. 

Employees who have permission to access sensitive data may sometimes decide to go against the company and reveal the data or silently pass on information for monetary reasons. This information can include passwords, the company's financial status, confidential patient information, reports on drug trials, and employee information. This information can be leaked by former or existing disgruntled employees, in which case security systems cannot play a role in identifying or rectifying them. However, in cases where employees unwittingly release information, they may be a victim of a cyberattack such as a phishing email or malware download.

To combat this, it's important to conduct security awareness programs in hospitals so that employees are aware of the latest trends in cyber threats. Institutions should also have role-based access to important functions and have several levels of approval for any sensitive action that might be performed. This will help ensure that employees are only sharing or viewing information within their scope of responsibility. 

The importance of email security in healthcare

Healthcare organizations carry the herculean responsibility of maintaining and guarding some of the most vital information about any individual they've treated. Because this data could be used against the individual in many ways, it's vital to exercise paramount caution and sensitivity while handling it. Given the strict compliance requirements of regulations like HIPAA, failing to secure email communication can result in hefty fines and legal consequences. 

A single email breach can lead to data leaks, financial losses, regulatory penalties, and severe reputational damage, so implementing robust email security solutions is essential. Healthcare organizations must use encryption, multi-factor authentication, and advanced threat detection to safeguard communications. With the rise of telemedicine and digital health records, email is the primary channel for communication. Focusing on email security not only protects patient privacy but also ensures the integrity and trustworthiness of healthcare services.

eProtect is a cloud-based email security and archiving solution that provides an additional layer of security for email accounts. The solution offers advanced threat detection mechanisms that can secure on-premise and cloud email accounts from evolving email threats. eProtect is the security solution powering Zoho Mail, a platform trusted by millions of users.