Ransomware in healthcare emerges as a focal point, representing a relentless and targeted threat to vital institutions. According to Rubrik’s latest findings, these attacks exact a toll nearly five times more severe on healthcare institutions compared to the global average. An alarming statistic indeed, with successful ransomware events impacting a staggering 20% of sensitive data holdings within healthcare organizations, in contrast to just 6% for their counterparts in other industries.
Delving deeper, Rubrik’s research underscores the pivotal role of virtualization in the ransomware saga within healthcare. A whopping 97% of all encrypted data within healthcare entities last year was nestled within virtualized architecture, signaling a critical vulnerability that demands immediate attention and fortification.
Organizational Dependency on Cloud
But it’s not just ransomware in healthcare that raises concerns. Across industries, a seismic shift towards cloud architecture is underway. In 2023 alone, Rubrik observed a notable surge in cloud-based data storage, accounting for 13% of an organization’s data, up from 9% in the previous year. Meanwhile, the allure of on-premises solutions dwindled, plummeting from 77% in 2022 to 70% in 2023.
Yet, as healthcare organizations and others migrate to the cloud, they traverse treacherous terrain riddled with security blind spots. Rubrik’s Telemetry unveils three critical vulnerabilities lurking within cloud environments:
- Blind Spot #1: A staggering 70% of data housed within typical cloud instances, particularly in healthcare, resides in object storage, an area often overlooked in security protocols.
- Blind Spot #2: A staggering 88% of data in object storage remains unconfirmed as machine-readable, leaving it susceptible to exploitation by cyber adversaries.
- Blind Spot #3: More than a quarter of object storage data, particularly in healthcare, falls under regulatory or legal purview, including protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII), heightening the stakes for compliance and security.
As ransomware continues its reign of terror, healthcare organizations and others find themselves besieged on all fronts. A staggering 94% of IT and security leaders reported significant cyberattacks in the past year, averaging 30 assaults per organization. Alarmingly, one-third of these attacks manifested as ransomware incursions, plunging victims into a harrowing ordeal of data encryption and extortion.
The aftermath of such attacks reverberates far beyond mere data loss. Rubrik’s report reveals a harrowing toll on organizational morale and stability, with 96% of senior IT leaders reporting adverse emotional and psychological impacts. Furthermore, the specter of leadership upheaval looms large, with 44% of organizations witnessing major personnel changes in the wake of cyber assaults.
In the ever-evolving battle against cyber threats, knowledge is paramount. Rubrik’s “State of Data Security” report offers a compelling narrative of the challenges and imperatives shaping the cybersecurity landscape, particularly in the context of ransomware in healthcare. Armed with these insights, organizations can navigate the perilous terrain of cyberspace with vigilance and resilience, safeguarding their most precious asset—data—in the face of targeted threats.