{"id":2667,"date":"2025-11-12T11:27:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T11:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amtivo.com\/uk\/standards\/uncategorized\/untagged\/how-the-healthcare-industry-can-fight-cybercrime\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T15:54:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:54:44","slug":"how-the-healthcare-industry-can-fight-cybercrime","status":"publish","type":"standard-post-filter","link":"https:\/\/amtivo.com\/uk\/standards\/cyber-essentials\/insights\/how-the-healthcare-industry-can-fight-cybercrime\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Healthcare Industry Could Combat Cyber Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The healthcare sector<\/a> continues to be a prime target for cyber attacks, and it\u2019s easy to see why.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The fundamental issue is that healthcare is hugely data-intensive, which results in an \u2018attack surface\u2019 that is both vast and constantly growing as medical monitoring expands.<\/p>\r\n

Additionally, existing vulnerabilities such as outdated equipment and a lack of experienced cyber security staff exacerbate risks.<\/p>\r\n

With patient demand consistently high and systems under pressure, any disruption can have serious consequences. For ransomware groups, that makes healthcare a high-leverage target. In the worst-case scenario, a network outage could put lives at risk. This is a pressure point that attackers believe increases the chances of a quick payout, before backups can be restored.<\/p>\r\n

The targeting of healthcare has a long history. In October 2016, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust was hit by ransomware<\/a> \u2013 an early NHS case \u2013 forcing the cancellation of 2,800 appointments.<\/p>\r\n

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The Scale of Cyber Attacks<\/h2>\r\n

The scale of cyber attacks on the NHS has continued to intensify.<\/p>\r\n

One of the most well-known attacks is the WannaCry ransomware attack<\/a> in 2017, which caused major disruption to hospitals around the world. While not aimed specifically at healthcare, WannaCry showed that large-scale, damaging attacks were possible.<\/p>\r\n

The Synnovis ransomware attack<\/a> in June 2024 led to the postponement of over 10,000 outpatient appointments<\/a> and more than 1,700 elective procedures at London hospitals and resulted in at least two cases of long-term or permanent patient harm.<\/p>\r\n

Other cyber attacks have followed, including an incident in May 2025<\/a> when cyber criminals targeted University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. The attack exploited a software vulnerability and led to the theft of NHS data, raising concerns about potential unauthorised access to sensitive patient records.<\/p>\r\n

With ransomware in particular a persistent threat to the NHS, senior cyber security leaders from the UK government and NHS have urged technology suppliers\u2019 chief executives to publicly commit to strong security practices by signing a new cyber security charter<\/a> \u2013 a key step in improving security for the healthcare industry.<\/p>\r\n

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Cyber Criminals Targeting Healthcare<\/h2>\r\n

The WannaCry attack in particular arrived at a time when the sector was already struggling to control widespread data breaches involving large volumes of Personal Health Information (PHI). This type of data remains attractive to cyber criminals for several reasons:<\/p>\r\n