Health Care Still On High Alert

Given COVID-19, it’s no surprise the health care industry has been a primary target for cybercriminals in 2020, said Ryan Weeks, Datto’s CISO.

“Between highly desired intellectual property and the opportunity for major payouts, the incentive to exploit even the smallest of health care institutions, let alone larger networks, will remain a top priority for malicious actors in 2021,” he said. “Specifically, ransomware will be the primary attack method because the consequences are higher for health care organisations that can’t risk down time due to the critical services they provide for patients.”

It will be critical for hospitals and other health care organizations to evaluate their IT and security budgets ahead of the new year, Weeks said. That will ensure they’re able to implement advanced security and data management tools that allow them to effectively back up and secure networks while enabling business continuity efforts in 2021.