When it comes to cyberattacks, healthcare remains one of the most targeted and vulnerable sectors. In fact, a Recent violations A leading medical analytics company, publishing data on 5.4 million U.S. patients, making it one of the most important violations reported to federal regulators this year.
While legal protections for private health information have been expanding, the scale of recent incidents is staggering. It has affected over 31 million people in 2025 alone ( HIPAA Guide H1 2025).
Why Healthcare is the main goal of cyberattacks
Healthcare organizations manage sensitive data, operate within highly complex digital ecosystems, and often fight against the aging infrastructure and limited budgets of information technology. Here are some examples:
Ransomware and operational confusion. Ransomware can render hospital operations crippled and trigger necessary notices of violations based on federal health insurance portability and accountability laws, regulations scrutiny, and potential litigation. Phishing and social engineering. Medical staff are the frequent targets of phishing attacks. Inadequate training increases the risk of violations and legal exposure under HIPAA. Legacy systems and patch management challenges. Outdated technology and weak patching practices can create vulnerabilities and not violate security requirements. Third-party and vendor risks. Vendors with access to healthcare provider systems can introduce hidden vulnerabilities that allow healthcare providers to exercise under-surveillance. Regulation complexity and evolving requirements. Legal obligations related to protecting individual health information and cybersecurity are constantly changing, making it difficult for healthcare providers to remain up-to-date and compliant. Increased use of Internet of Things and connected medical devices. Medical devices often lack strong security controls, and violations can pose risks to data privacy and patient safety.
These and other characteristics make healthcare a major target for threat actors.
Best Practices
Given these risks, here are four cybersecurity best practices for the healthcare industry:
No. 1: Involve legal counsel before there is a problem. Attorneys should be involved as early as they are in the planning stage. Your attorney can ensure that you are comprehensive and comply with your security policies and help the company's leadership understand their duties.
No. 2: Build and test an incident response plan. Every organization needs a clear and up-to-date plan to respond to cyberattacks. Your legal counsel can help you to properly address any necessary notices (such as those under HIPAA) and ensure that you will implement practice training with your team. If the case is unfortunate, your lawyer can help guide you while protecting sensitive communications.
No. 3: Assess your own risk and risks created by your vendor. Healthcare providers should regularly assess security risks, including risks from third-party vendors. Your legal team will help ensure that these assessments are well documented and that contracts with the vendor will clearly assign liability in the case of a case.
No. 4: Follow reliable industry standards. The use of cybersecurity standards, such as those issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, HITRUST, or 405(D) program, approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, indicates that your organization is taking reasonable steps to protect your data. Your legal team will help you apply these standards and ensure you are obedient and up-to-date.
