Ransomware attacks in the healthcare industry have increased in 2024, according to a SafetyDetectives "Healthcare Under Siege: Ransomware in 2024" report released Nov. 13.
Here are five takeaways from the report:
1. In 2024, healthcare was the third most attacked industry, with 264 ransomware attacks recorded in the first three quarters of 2024, just four short of the total recorded in all of 2023.
2. July saw 39 ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations, the most of any month thus far in 2024.
3. At least 177 new variants of ransomware have been detected between April and September 2024.
4. SafetyDetectives also estimated that a total of 120 terabytes of data have been stolen from healthcare organizations by cybercriminals in 2024,
5. Based on their analysis, SafetyDetectives made several recommendations, including:
- Updating and repairing all software and systems
- Implementing stronger access controls and multi-factor authentication
- Regularly conducting cybersecurity trainings for staff
- Regularly backing up critical data
- Developing incident response plans