Healthcare cyberattacks can be common and they can be absolutely devastating for the victims whose personal data is misused or exposed.
The sector is a target for hackers, and the coronavirus pandemic appears to have led to increased numbers of attacks. The wealth of incredibly personal and sensitive data combined with a lack of funding, especially for public sector healthcare, means the risks of these kinds of attacks taking place can be significant.
One thing is for sure: victims of a medical data breach should never suffer in silence. The law is there to make sure that victims can receive the justice that they deserve, and we are here to help. As a leading firm of data breach and consumer action lawyers, we can be your voice for justice.
Healthcare cyberattacks can be common
Healthcare cyberattacks can be common. It’s known that hackers and cybercriminals target medical data because it can be incredibly valuable.
Medical data breach compensation cases can be one of the most severe types that we help people with. We’re talking about some of the most personal and sensitive data that there can be, which means that the impact for the victim can be significant. For hackers, this can give them leverage. It can mean there’s a greater chance of succeeding with a ransomware attack and convincing an organisation to pay up instead of facing the damage caused by private medical data being leaked. Even locking medical professionals out of their systems can cause disruption on such a scale where people’s lives could be endangered, which can mean that it’s better to pay up rather than trying to fight the hackers.
We usually find that data breach compensation pay-outs for healthcare data breaches can be substantial. We’re representing a large number of people for such claims and we know from considerable experience just how bad the impact can be.
There’s also the issue of public sector funding constraints. This can sometimes mean that some healthcare organisation in the UK are lacking when it comes to cybersecurity because of low funding from the government. We saw the impact of how the sector can be targeted with the 2017 WannaCry attack where criminals used ransomware to specifically target older and more outdated systems. Such systems are not always as secure, and the NHS was hit hard because of a reliance on older and outdated technology that stems from a lack of central government funding.
Cyberattacks during the coronavirus pandemic
Some data suggests that healthcare cyberattacks have increased – maybe even doubled – during the coronavirus pandemic. Facilities, hospitals and even researchers are reportedly being targeted – any organisation that stores and processes medical information could be hit.
So, why is this? The most obvious assumption is that it may be due to the potential for successfully breaching a system or a server. The healthcare industry is a target anyway given the nature of the data that they hold but, during the COVD-19 pandemic, healthcare sectors around the world are under increasing pressure. When organisations are under pressure, mistakes can be more likely to be made.
We know that hackers go for softer targets because they can be easier to breach. With increased pressure meaning targets may be softer, some criminals are stepping up their efforts to focus on medical information.
Governments need to recognise that essential funding is the only way they can make sure that healthcare organisations are protected. Private healthcare organisations simply must invest in cybersecurity or face the potential cost of compensation action and regulatory fines.
Claiming compensation
Victims of healthcare cyberattacks can be entitled to bring a claim for data breach compensation with us. We may be able to offer No Win, No Fee representation where we believe that we can bring a successful case of negligence against a healthcare organisation.
For free, no-obligation advice, please don’t hesitate to contact our team today.