Data attacks on healthcare flying higher

The number of criminal attacks on hospitals has increased by 100% in the past four years, with 40% of healthcare organizations reporting a data attack this year, according to the Ponemon Institute. Data breaches have slightly declined in recent years, costing the industry $5.6bn annually. Healthcare groups paying for data breaches should expect to pay around $2m over a two-year period. Employee negligence, such as losing laptops, remains the top cause of data breaches, although criminal attacks on hospitals are becoming more prevalent.