The healthcare and life sciences communities have been undergoing a massive digital transformation since the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything from healthcare consumer expectations to government regulations are driving providers, payers, and pharmaceutical organizations to move aggressively toward digital interactions and transactions. These and many other dramatic shifts are putting more healthcare organizations at risk of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks that can jeopardize both patient safety and financial resiliency. To better understand and measure the security gaps that now exist across a more digital-centric healthcare industry, Porter Research completed a study of more than 100 IT and business leaders across the provider, payer, and pharmaceutical/life sciences industries. The study was conducted from November 2022 through January 2023. The results reveal an alarming concern among leaders about their preparedness to prevent and mitigate ransomware attacks, along with an enhanced focus on the medical ecosystem and sustainability.
Key Findings
60% of leaders are “less than fully confident” in the technologies they currently use to prevent and mitigate ransomware attacks
81% of leaders are currently relying on basic methodologies, such as email filtering and firewalls, as their primary defense mechanisms against cyberattacks
82% of leaders place mitigating cyberattacks as a “high” or “very high priority” in 2023
82% of leaders are increasing their investments aimed at preventing and mitigating ransomware attacks in 2023
100% of leaders noted “growing hacker sophistication” as the primary driver behind the increase in ransomware attacks
