According to a Check Point Research report from April 2025, healthcare facilities are experiencing an average of 2,309 cyberattack attempts per organization each week, a significant increase from previous years. In 2024, the Change Healthcare cyberattack disrupted prescription services for millions of patients nationwide, halting operations at pharmacies and hospitals across America.Â
Cybersecurity failures expose healthcare organizations to HIPAA violations, malpractice claims, and breaches of fiduciary duty. This guide outlines defensive measures that satisfy due diligence requirements and reduce organizational liability.
Top 3 best practices to prevent healthcare cyber attacks
Cybersecurity must be an ongoing practice of analyzing, monitoring, detecting, and securing vulnerabilities. Safeguarding internet-connected devices in healthcare is vital to ensure the physical safety and security of patients.
Creating a culture of cybersecurity at your organization and implementing an incident response plan is crucial to effectively remediating damage in the event of an attack.
Pro tip: Consult with healthcare cybersecurity specialists to ensure your security measures satisfy regulatory requirements and provide defensible due diligence in litigation. At Proven Data, we specialize in helping healthcare organizations implement comprehensive security solutions that protect patient data while meeting compliance obligations.
Practice 1: Invest in threat intelligence
Threat intelligence is the practice of gathering, analyzing, and gathering data from previous cyber attacks to gain knowledge on prevention and mitigation tactics. Threat intelligence sharing enables organizations to understand attack patterns and prevent similar attacks by leveraging data compiled from previous cyber incidents within their industry.
How to implement
You can use tools and platforms to track cyber threats and vulnerabilities, ensuring your organization’s network and systems are patched and that your team is up to date on cybersecurity techniques.
CISA’s automated indicator sharing (AIS) system enables the real-time exchange of information on evolving cyber threats between the federal government and private-sector organizations. When a private organization or federal entity detects an attempted compromise, information on the suspected threat is shared via AIS at machine speed with all participating partners, allowing organizations to act quickly to protect themselves.
Unfortunately, CISA’s AIS cannot mitigate sophisticated cyber threats, but it helps organizations reduce risks from less sophisticated attacks, freeing up resources to prevent larger, more dangerous threats.
The Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (H-ISAC) is a global, non-profit organization offering healthcare organizations a free cyber threat intelligence sharing platform for H-ISAC community members. As a member, you both receive and contribute information on cyber threats, attacks, and security vulnerabilities promptly. H-ISAC encompasses both machine-to-machine and human-to-human information sharing to suit a variety of organizational needs.
Practice 2: Discover your vulnerabilities
Understanding your vulnerabilities is a crucial step in identifying gaps in your security protection. Proactive vulnerability discovery shows due diligence and can reduce liability exposure by showing reasonable care.
To ensure the security of Protected Health Information (PHI), the healthcare industry follows security compliance regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
How to implement
Choose a cybersecurity company that keeps you up to date with your respective cybersecurity standards and has experience in healthcare cybersecurity and compliance. This is done by conducting regular assessments:
- Vulnerability assessment: Systematic review of security weaknesses in your systems, applications, and network infrastructure.
- Security risk assessment: Comprehensive evaluation of potential threats, their likelihood, and potential impact on your organization.Â
- Penetration testing: Simulated cyber attacks to identify exploitable vulnerabilities before real attackers find them.
- HIPAA compliance audit: Detailed review of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards against HIPAA Security Rule requirements.
- Risk assessment: Ongoing evaluation and prioritization of security risks to guide resource allocation and remediation efforts.
Practice 3: Implement cybersecurity solutions
Telehealth services and expanded remote access have created additional attack vectors and pose issues with data security during transmission and storage. The solution to this is to require comprehensive security for all internet-connected devices outside traditional healthcare security infrastructure, whether used in traditional care facilities, telehealth services, or remote locations.
How to implement
There are multiple cybersecurity products and services designed to reduce cyberattack risk. A qualified cybersecurity company can help you set up and monitor the following solutions:
Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
EDR solutions provide continuous monitoring and automated responses to threats across all endpoints (workstations, servers, mobile devices) to detect sophisticated threats, enable forensic capabilities, and enable rapid incident response.
Network monitoring and alerting
24/7 network monitoring detects anomalous behavior, unauthorized access attempts, and potential breaches in real-time. Early detection reduces dwell time (the period attackers remain undetected in your network), minimizing damage and data exfiltration.
Firewall audits and upgrades
Modern firewall solutions go beyond basic port blocking to provide deep packet inspection, intrusion prevention, and application-level security. Healthcare networks connect life-critical medical devices. Proper network segmentation and firewall configuration prevent lateral movement during attacks.
Security architecture assessment
A professional security architecture review evaluates your entire security posture, identifies gaps, and recommends improvements aligned with industry best practices. A comprehensive architecture assessment ensures all components work together effectively.
Email security
Advanced email security solutions block phishing attempts, malicious attachments, and business email compromise attacks.
Security awareness training
Regular training programs that educate staff on identifying phishing attempts, proper password hygiene, and the secure handling of PHI can reduce the risk of human error, which is one of the primary attack vectors.
Incident response planning
A structured, up-to-date incident response plan enables rapid response, minimizes damage, reduces downtime, and demonstrates preparedness during regulatory investigations.
Documented procedures for detecting, containing, and recovering from security incidents also ensure compliance with HIPAA requirements.
What are the legal risks of healthcare cyberattacks?
Healthcare organizations operate in a uniquely vulnerable position: they hold massive amounts of Protected Health Information (PHI), face stringent HIPAA regulatory requirements, and provide life-critical services that cannot tolerate downtime.
- HIPAA violations: Failure to implement adequate security safeguards can result in penalties ranging from $100 to $50,000 per violation, with annual maximums of $1.5 million per violation category.
- Civil litigation: Data breaches trigger class-action lawsuits by affected patients. The average healthcare data breach costs $10.93 million—the highest of any industry.
- Medical malpractice: System downtime caused by cyberattacks can delay critical care, creating liability for patient harm or death.
- Fiduciary duty breaches: Healthcare executives and board members face potential personal liability for failing to implement adequate cybersecurity governance.
Actions to protect a healthcare organization
Proven Data’s cybersecurity experts developed this checklist to ensure your organization is prepared to withstand potential cyberattacks and protect its data and network.
If you need help creating a broad, tailored security environment and a rapid response in the event of an attack or breach, contact our incident response retainer team.
Immediate actions:
- Enroll in CISA’s AIS program for threat intelligence
- Join the H-ISAC community for healthcare-specific threat sharing
- Schedule security awareness training for all staff
- Review current firewall configurations and access controls
Short-term actions
- Conduct or schedule a comprehensive vulnerability assessment
- Implement or upgrade the EDR solution on all endpoints
- Establish incident response contacts and procedures
- Review and update business associate agreements for vendor security requirementsÂ
Long-term strategy
- Deploy a comprehensive security architecture based on assessment findings
- Develop and test business continuity and disaster recovery plans
- Conduct a HIPAA compliance audit
- Establish an ongoing security monitoring and alerting program
- Create a security metrics dashboard for board-level reporting
