2020 saw healthcare organizations embrace technology in an effort to both connect with patients and ensure their continued safety and health. That embrace, however, has exposed healthcare facility IT to a growing threat.

The new hunting ground for cybercriminals has become the pandemic’s new ground zero – health care, according to Security Boulevard. It is not a stretch to say that IT managers haven’t reached the peak of ransomware attacks. The FBI released a ransomware advisory in October about an imminent threat, and put healthcare institutions on high alert. Nefarious actors have decided it is acceptable to target a region, a large health system, or even multiple health systems, all at once. Although this initial campaign is largely being blocked by security tools – because managers understand the infrastructure hackers are using – at some point, another group will pivot to a different infrastructure, and managers will be back to square one.

These latest ransomware attacks should give IT security professionals the opportunity to rethink all things IT and security and focus on one priority – reducing risk. It is imperative for healthcare institutions, from hospitals to large-scale pharmaceutical companies, to secure IT networks and invest in security infrastructure.

If there is a lesson to be learned this year, it’s to remember that there is no longer a question of if, but when, a cyberattack will happen. It is time to rethink security and reduce risk in health care. Organizations haven’t fully grasped the fact that these systems are a major factor in the way care is delivered. It’s not about security or IT operating in silos anymore. 

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