Why is healthcare a target?
Q: I work in a hospital and I have been told we have to attend cybersecurity training but I don't understand why anyone would attack us?
Q: I work in a hospital and I have been told we have to attend cybersecurity training but I don't understand why anyone would attack us?
A: Healthcare is targeted as there is data that can be sold and exploited by cyber attackers. So at whatever level you work at within healthcare related - your data is of interest to attackers. Attacks on larger healthcare institutions also cause disruption and quickly hit the media which may also be the goal of some attackers.
It's a big topic to reflect on, but you don't have to understand the whole view at once. Start with two pieces:
- when you see a healthcare attack in the media - start to read about it and absorb what has happened - you don't need to understand all the details but start to get a sense of the impact.
- if you work in healthcare - what will you keep in mind going forward now you know your industry is targeted?
If you want to read more on why healthcare is a target, some pages on this from my book are published at the end of this article (scroll through to the end to find them). We will also over time look more into motivations of attackers.
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