Health clinics top hackers’ hit list

By Edie Bourne

The need for private practices to give close attention to data security has been underlined by a report naming healthcare as the most breached industry in the US.

Cyber-attack prevention specialists SecurityScorecard said although the industry recognised that reported incidents of data breaches were rising, and had stringent data security compliance and reporting requirements, it continued to be targeted by ‘malicious actors’. 

It believes the reason for the bullseye placed on the healthcare industry is the detailed information that healthcare providers and their business associates collect, process, transmit and store.

The company said: ‘Electronic Personal Health Information (ePHI) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) contain all the most valuable information that a malicious actor can sell on the dark web.