According to cybersecurity experts who testified at a recent Senate hearing, rural hospitals in the United States are constantly being targeted by ransomware attacks.
TechRadar tells us in a report that these institutions are especially vulnerable to such cyberattacks due to a lack of cybersecurity resources and qualified personnel, which can be disruptive to the provision of healthcare services.
Rural Hospitals Need More Funding to Stop Cyberattacks
According to Cyberscoop, at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on March 16, cybersecurity experts stated that while private industry and federal government agencies provide information on how to combat ransomware, rural hospitals require more funding to implement cybersecurity measures effectively.
Experts state that hackers have moved their target to small and rural hospitals, which have lagged in bolstering their defenses.
According to Kate Pierce of the cybersecurity firm Fortified Health Security, rural hospitals confront unprecedented budget limitations, with some running in the red by as much as 30 percent.
The cybersecurity law advocate noted that the approaching end of the public health emergency in May had heightened the challenges these hospitals face.
Given the volume of sensitive data collected by most hospitals, the increased prevalence of cyberattacks against healthcare providers in the United States is a reason for alarm.
Hospital data typically contains health and medical records, payment information, employment status, and other personal information, making them valuable targets for ransomware operators and data hackers.
Greg Garcia, executive director for cyber security at the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council, adds that the healthcare industry is also facing a slew of changes that make it difficult for hospitals to secure their networks.
Increasing Cyberattacks Targeting Hospitals
In ransomware attacks, cybercriminals access medical facilities' computer networks, seize critical data, and warn people in control that the data will stay locked until paid.
Ransomware attacks in the healthcare business have escalated after the COVID-19 pandemic; according to data from Recorded Future, there were 297 attacks in 2021.
In January 2022, a hospital data breach in Florida compromised the extensive personal information of over 1 million Broward Health care system patients and staff employees.
According to TechRadar, recent high-profile attacks on healthcare businesses include Independent Living Systems (ILS), which exposed over 4.2 million user details, and Zoll Medical, which had over a million customers' and employees' records taken.
Other countries are also reporting the same issue. The Australian health insurance firm Medibank Private was hacked in November 2022, exposing the data of 9.7 million current and former members and their authorized agents.
Effects of Hospital Ransomware Attacks
A study revealed that cyberattacks against healthcare institutions frequently result in an increase in patient mortality rates. More than 600 information technology specialists from 100 healthcare facilities in the US were interviewed for the study.
Around 59% of respondents to the research have suffered ransomware attacks and acknowledged that disruptions in hospital care drain resources and lengthen patients' stays. This frequently results in higher death rates in hospitals.
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