Myth busted: You can’t sweep ransomware attacks under the rug

In 2016, there were 27 million patient records stolen in 450 separate data breaches in the healthcare industry, with 27% caused by ransomware, hacking, or malware. However, only nine organizations reported malware or ransomware breaches to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Failing to disclose these attacks can have negative impacts on an organization’s staff and reputation, and paying the ransom does not guarantee that the hacker won’t have access to patient records. It is important for organizations to report and properly respond to ransomware attacks.