Ransomware hit 1 in 4 healthcare organizations this year, report finds

Jessica Kim Cohen -

Most healthcare employees are confident in their organization's cybersecurity strategy, despite many facilities suffering multiple ransomware attacks over the past few years, according to a report from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab.

Kaspersky Lab commissioned the research firm Opinion Matters to poll 1,758 U.S.- and Canada-based healthcare employees — including clinicians, administrators and IT staff — during October for its survey on cybersecurity practices.

Here are four survey insights into cybersecurity at healthcare organizations:

1. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they were aware of a ransomware attack against their employer within the past year. Of those who were aware of a ransomware attack, one-third added that it had happened more than once.

2. However, 23 percent of respondents said they were confident in their organization's cybersecurity strategy, and one-fifth of respondents said they didn't think their organization would suffer a data breach in the next year. Only 9 percent expressed concern about their employer's cybersecurity strategy.

3. Three-quarters of respondents said that, if they received an email at work from someone they weren't familiar with asking for protected health information or system credentials, they would report it to their IT team. However, 17 percent said they would not do anything in this situation.

4. Seventeen percent of respondents admitted they or a co-worker had responded to a third-party vendor email request to share patient information.

To download Kaspersky Lab's report, click here.

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