The following is a guest article by Andrew Costis, Engineering Manager of the Adversary Research Team at AttackIQ
The healthcare sector continues to face a wave of cyber incidents, with 2024 marking a year of heightened attacks. Healthcare and public health (HPH) organizations have become frequent targets for ransomware and data exfiltration attacks, creating a critical need for stronger defenses. The cyberattack on Change Healthcare compromised the data of an estimated one-third of Americans, highlighting the consequences of such breaches. However, these attacks extend beyond data loss. The attack on Ascension’s hospital network disrupted patient care and limited access to digital records, demonstrating the real-world impact on healthcare services.
In response, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into securing clinical and administrative systems, networks, and patient data. A recent HIMSS report found that cybersecurity budgets in the healthcare sector are up 55%. Yet, despite these investments, the question remains: are these security measures enough?
The Unique Challenge for Healthcare
The complexity of healthcare systems, combined with the high value of the data they protect, makes the sector especially attractive to attackers. Many organizations rely on outdated infrastructure or lack the resources for comprehensive cybersecurity measures, which creates an environment where malicious actors can slip through the cracks unnoticed. With critical systems often working on aging networks, healthcare providers find themselves in a constant battle to keep up with changing threats while managing legacy technologies.
Where the Investments Are Going
HPH organizations are not holding back in their efforts to bolster cybersecurity. Resources are being funneled into advanced security controls designed to shield critical assets. But deploying these solutions isn’t the final step — it’s only the beginning. To justify this level of spending and secure future budgets, security leaders need to demonstrate a clear return on investment (ROI). This can only happen if they have the tools and processes in place to measure how effective their controls are in preventing and mitigating the types of attacks most likely to strike.
Assessing the Efficacy of Cyber Defenses
Deploying security controls is not enough. In a healthcare sector as vulnerable as this, organizations must go beyond simple deployment by regularly validating their defenses through proactive, continuous testing. This multi-pronged approach ensures that organizations aren’t just reacting to breaches but actively preventing them. Here’s how healthcare organizations can test and validate their cyber defenses:
Leveraging Frameworks Like MITRE ATT&CK
This well-known framework offers a structured approach for understanding and emulating real-world adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). By integrating MITRE ATT&CK, healthcare organizations can simulate various attack vectors and pinpoint gaps in their security, enabling preemptive improvements.
Implementing Comprehensive Breach and Attack Simulations
Simulating attacks—such as ransomware or data exfiltration—on critical healthcare systems allows organizations to discover vulnerabilities before attackers do. This hands-on approach ensures potential threats are addressed swiftly and effectively, reducing the likelihood of successful attacks.
Continuously Evaluating and Refining Security Controls
Static defenses quickly become obsolete. Regular assessments of existing controls, aligned with the latest threat intelligence, help identify gaps and emerging risks. This iterative process ensures healthcare organizations can adapt and fine-tune their security posture, ensuring sustained protection.
Adopting Automated, Continuous Testing Platforms
Moving away from costly, infrequent manual testing, automated platforms enable healthcare organizations to continuously validate their security controls against real-world threats. This approach provides real-time insights into the effectiveness of cyber defenses, allowing for rapid improvements without the overhead of traditional testing methods.
Securing the Future
As we look to the future, it’s clear that cybersecurity in healthcare must evolve. Static defenses won’t suffice in the face of dynamic and increasingly sophisticated threats. The organizations that succeed in safeguarding their systems will be those that continuously test, refine, and adapt their defenses, ensuring that every dollar spent on cybersecurity yields tangible results. For CISOs, it’s about making cybersecurity not just an operational necessity but a strategic investment that protects critical assets and patient trust.
By implementing proactive testing and ensuring that defenses are aligned with the real-world threat landscape, healthcare providers can build a cybersecurity program that is both resilient and financially sustainable. This forward-thinking approach will enable them to not only survive but thrive in an era of relentless cyber threats.
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