Verizon Publishes Findings on Data Breaches in the Health Care Industry
December 20, 2012
A study conducted by the Verizon RISK Team, with cooperation from law enforcement agencies around the world, indicates that the number of data breaches in the health care industry is expected to rise. In this report, they highlight their findings and recommendations for health care organizations.
Among their findings:
- Seven percent of all data breaches occurred in the health care industry.
- Cybercriminals targeting health care organizations were more interested in Point of Sale systems and financial data, not electronic health records.
- Most health care organizations experiencing breaches fell into the small-to-medium business category (1 to 100 employees); outpatient care facilities such as medical and dental offices comprised the bulk of these.
- Most attacks were conducted by financially-motivated organized criminal groups; insider jobs comprised approximately 5 percent of the attacks.
- In the majority of cases, the attacker gained initial access by exploiting default or guessable credentials.
- Close to two-thirds of all breaches go on for months before the victim learns that they've been compromised.
Read the full report: Verizon's Data Breach Investigations Report Health Care Industry Snapshot
©2024 Carlton Fields, P.A. Carlton Fields practices law in California through Carlton Fields, LLP. Carlton Fields publications should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general information and educational purposes only, and should not be relied on as if it were advice about a particular fact situation. The distribution of this publication is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship with Carlton Fields. This publication may not be quoted or referred to in any other publication or proceeding without the prior written consent of the firm, to be given or withheld at our discretion. To request reprint permission for any of our publications, please use our Contact Us form via the link below. The views set forth herein are the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the firm. This site may contain hypertext links to information created and maintained by other entities. Carlton Fields does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this outside information, nor is the inclusion of a link to be intended as an endorsement of those outside sites.