Healthcare and the Cyber Threat

In February, Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital very publicly paid $17,000 to regain access to its files after being infected with a type of malware called ransomware. As the name suggests, ransomware encrypts all files on a computer until the victim pays a ransom to the attacker. This hack, though limited in scope, is just one example of a much larger problem with the healthcare industry’s cybersecurity posture.

In 2015 alone, hackers stole the records of 11 million people from Premera Blue Cross, 10 million people from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, and 80 million people from Anthem. In contrast, only 22 million people were directly affected by the hackers who stole information from the Office of Personnel Management. The healthcare industry has become a prime target for hackers, and the trend of healthcare providers and insurance companies being targeted by cyber-criminals shows no sign of stopping.

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