Healthcare industry ranks in top 10 for client data leaks

New research by NordPass has revealed that since late 2019, 290 healthcare organisations have suffered data breaches.

During these breaches, consumer data, such as email addresses, passwords, and usernames, were leaked.

This number places the healthcare industry in eighth position among sectors with the most client data leaks.

Of healthcare organisations worldwide that are responsible for exposing clients’ data to hackers, almost a third are based in the US; India and Germany follow with 34 and 19 businesses respectively.

“In a constantly challenged cyber environment, businesses no longer have the luxury to store consumer data in plain text on Excel or otherwise neglect basic cybersecurity practices,” said Tomas Smalakys, the CTO of NordPass. “To avoid financial and reputational risks, companies should consider it their personal duty to ensure clients’ data is secured against online threats, even if the legislation is not there yet.”

In terms of the type of organisation, private companies were of most interest to hackers. Based on the study, they make up over a half of healthcare organisations that had their clients’ data stolen. Less frequently, cybercriminals have also targeted public companies (eight per cent), non-profits (seven per cent), and other types of organisations.

Researchers have also concluded that smaller companies are more likely to experience a data breach and lose clients’ data as a result. In the healthcare industry, companies with up to 50 employees had their clients’ data compromised the most.