Health-care industry is most at risk from cyberattack, study says

Health care is increasingly more at risk of cyberattacks than other industries, according to a recent study by Soax, a data-collection platform, reports Cara Smith of Inside Health Policy.

As cyberattacks against Change Healthcare and Ascension, a 19-state hospital system, "disrupted the health-care industry, lawmakers, doctors, payers and other stakeholders are scrambling to prevent future cyberbreaches to protect the health-care system," Smith reports.

"The health-care industry is the most vulnerable sector, topping the ranking with 809 data-violation cases in 2023. This is a staggering surge in incidents from the prior year, with cases totaling 343 in 2022 -- a 136% increase, the study found. Further data revealed that these cases affected 56 million victims."

For the study, Soax used data from the Identity Theft Resource Center, and it says "the health-care industry should be on high alert," Smith reports.