Ransomware attacks on healthcare systems rose in 2023

Editor's Note

A near doubling of ransomware attacks on healthcare systems from 2022 to 2023 could point to a problematic trend, according to a January 2 report from cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.

Specifically, findings show 46 ransomware attacks in 2023 compared to 25 in 2022 and 27 in 2021. The 2023 attacks impacted 41 hospitals, and 32 of the 46 resulted in stole data.

Such attacks can threaten patient health by delaying treatment or making tests and other critical information inaccessible. Examples cited in the report include a 3-year-old patient receiving a “megadose” of pain medication, as well as an attack on the Ardent health system that drove hospitals in three states to reroute ambulances.

Organizations paid ransomware hackers $449 million in the first half of 2023, and most of it is believed to be from the US. In order to combat ransomware attacks, the firm advises that governments ban ransomware payments. “Ransomware is a profit-driven enterprise,’ they write. “If it is made unprofitable, most attacks will quickly stop.”