Hackers Can Find Your Healthcare Data in Under an Hour

A new survey found that 38 percent of hackers believe they can access any healthcare data they want to in under an hour.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Apr 19, 2018

When talking about the vulnerabilities of healthcare data, we usually think about it from the perspective of IT or cybersecurity experts. A new survey from software company Nuix, however, flips the script and asks hackers what their views on the subject are.

The results are simply disturbing: nearly 40 percent of hackers that were surveyed believed they could find the healthcare data they sought in less than an hour.

Respondents said they saw healthcare facilities and hospitals as particularly soft targets. The sports and entertainment, retail and hospitality industries also seemed to be easy prey. 

A total of 112 hackers participated in the survey anonymously online using a website called Survey Monkey or in person during the Black Hat, Bsides Vegas and DEFCON hacker conferences.

Nuix's head of services, Chris Pogue, said he wasn't surprised by the results of the survey.

"There is a lack of understanding of what data they have and the value of that data," Pogue said. "But doctors and hospital administrators need to understand that data has tremendous value on the black market."

That's just the theft side, that doesn't event take into account targeted attacks like ransomware, which can often scare a hospital into paying for their own data.

When will the healthcare industry wake up?