Hacking healthcare: With 385M patient records exposed, cybersecurity experts sound alarm on breach surge

Healthcare companies must harden their defenses, but it may require regulators and lawmakers to raise the bar on security standards, experts say. More than ever, healthcare organisations are utilising electronic records and digital services. This strengthens the need for the business to prioritise security, according to experts, and gives attackers more opportunity to disclose millions of patients' confidential medical information. According to federal data, healthcare breaches exposed 385 million patient records between 2010 and 2022, however a single patient record could be counted more than once. In the last five years, the number of hacking incidents—a type of breach—at healthcare organisations has increased as cybercriminals demand ransom payments in exchange for regaining access to confidential patient information. The most frequent breach type is a hacking or IT incident. Theft, loss, inappropriate disclosure, other, and unknown are some of the further sorts.