As Hacker Sophistication Increases, Confidence in Basic Cybersecurity Defenses Falters

March 02, 2023 - Even as healthcare organizations continue to increase investments aimed at preventing and mitigating ransomware attacks, health IT leaders reported a lack of confidence about their organizations’ preparedness, a new report from Akamai and Porter Research found.

Porter Research surveyed more than 100 IT and business leaders across the payer, provider, and pharmaceutical industries, 60 percent of whom reported feeling “less than fully confident” in the technologies they are actively using to prevent ransomware attacks.

What’s more, 81 percent of respondents reported relying on basic technologies such as email filtering and firewalls as their primary defense mechanisms against ransomware. But with 100 percent of survey respondents agreeing that growing hacker sophistication is the main driver behind the increase in ransomware attacks, respondents recognize that basic technologies are not cutting it.

“These basic tools are no match for today’s sophisticated cybercriminals and, according to Porter Research, healthcare industry executives recognize the need for improvement. As a result, these executives are shifting their investment strategies,” the report stated.

Although these technologies are crucial to a strong security posture, increased cyber threat activity has tested the limits of basic defenses. More than half of the respondents from provider organizations reported experiencing a ransomware attack in the past three years.

Health IT leaders’ concerns are founded – ransomware attacks, the industry’s reliance on legacy systems, and telehealth expansion all pose increased security risks to every healthcare organization.

“As the frequency and severity of ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations continues to rapidly increase, so does the pressure on IT leaders when it comes to minimizing cybersecurity risks and having mitigation strategies in place at their organizations,” the report noted.

Thankfully, health IT executives are recognizing these shifts and acting accordingly. Respondents across all market segments reported plans to increase their investments in cybersecurity over the next 12 months. Leaders will focus on enabling cloud performance, securing infrastructure, and hiring additional IT staff.

Even so, leaders cited a lack of IT resources, a lack of a comprehensive cyber strategy, and struggles with securing personal devices as top barriers to enhancing cybersecurity.

“Although healthcare industry executives know what needs to be done and are prioritizing investments to meet security needs, they face myriad other challenges, including the resource constraints that are also impacting other industries as they navigate labor shortages,” the report noted.

With a clear idea of the challenges that lie ahead, health IT experts can continue to sharpen their organization’s cyber defenses.