NEW DELHI: The Covid19 pandemic altered the globe, and the healthcare sector has seen significant changes in terms of data storage and corporate processes.
However, this exponential growth is also a factor in the massive surge in cyberattacks on the sector. Patients’ medical and financial information security has emerged as a new priority for healthcare organisations.
According to cyber security intelligence firm CloudSEK, the number of cyber attacks against the Indian healthcare industry was the second highest globally in 2021, accounting for 7.7% of the total incidence in the sector.
According to recent CloudSEK research titled “Increased cyber assaults on the global healthcare sector,” the United States’ healthcare industry saw 28% of all global attacks.
In the medical industry, there are several patient records that contain personal and sensitive information such as name, address, contact information, social security number, and financial information. This confidential knowledge might simply be sold for a significant sum of money.
After analysing worldwide data, CloudSEK researchers discovered that India had the second highest number of assaults, accounting for 7.7% of total attacks on the healthcare industry in 2021.
According to the report, 7.7% of cyber assaults on the Indian healthcare industry result in over 71 lakh records being compromised.
Phishing is the most common cyber threat in healthcare, in which malicious links are included in otherwise genuine communications.
Several phishing attempts were identified during the global outbreak, in which attackers pretended to be the WHO (World Health Organization) and transmitted hazardous links to victims in the guise of the most latest safety advice.
Ransomware attacks, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, insider threats, critical infrastructure & medjacking, and other issues are now affecting the healthcare sector.
“Given the magnitude and importance of the healthcare business, it is critical for institutions, workers, and healthcare professionals to guarantee that the data they collect and keep is not stolen or misused by hackers,” stated Rahul Sasi, Founder and CEO of CloudSEK.
CloudSEK is one of the organisations that provides cyber threat intelligence to India’s cyber security agency, CERT-In.
According to the study, technological improvements in the healthcare business, including as remote health monitoring, electronic health records, and the Internet of Things (IoT), have provided cyber criminals with new avenues to target the industry.
According to CloudSEK data, 1.87 lakh recordings have already been made in the first four months of 2022.
On a global scale, the attack dynamics appear to have shifted in 2022. According to the statistics, Australia has been the heaviest hit, with around 70 crore records, followed by Thailand, which has faced more than 10 crore records in the first four months of 2022.