SonicWall Report Details 14 Million Victims of Malware Breaches in the U.S. Healthcare Sector

SonicWall discovers 91% of healthcare breaches involve ransomware in 2024 - underscoring the urgent need for improved cybersecurity and strong partnerships with MSPs/MSSPs

MILPITAS, Calif. — September 26, 2024 — SonicWall today unveiled a 2024 SonicWall Threat Brief, focused exclusively on the healthcare industry and is based on extensive research from SonicWall Capture Labs. The report reveals that a minimum of 14 million patients in the U.S. have fallen victim to malware breaches in this sector. Despite SonicWall sensors successfully preventing over 26,000 attacks, the findings underscore that healthcare organizations, due to their essential operations and potential for financial gain, remain prime targets for ransomware.

Many healthcare organizations operate with limited cybersecurity resources and often rely on outdated technology – making them susceptible to ransomware attacks. SonicWall also determined that an astounding 60% of vulnerabilities were leveraged against Microsoft Exchange.

"Understanding the threat landscape is crucial for the healthcare industry to effectively defend against cyberattacks,” said Executive Director, Threat Research at SonicWall Doug McKee. “As ransomware evolves and targets sensitive patient data, organizations must stay informed about emerging threats and vulnerabilities. By equipping themselves with knowledge and robust security measures, healthcare providers can better protect their critical operations and ensure the safety of patient information."

Disrupting access to patient data or medical systems can have life-threatening consequences. Because of this, healthcare organizations are more likely to pay ransoms to restore operations quickly. In 2024, ransomware was leveraged in 91% of malware-related data breaches in the healthcare sector, with Lockbit emerging as one of the most notorious ransomware groups targeting this industry.

The increasing digitalization of health records and telehealth services further expands the attack surface, making it nearly impossible for healthcare organizations to go it alone. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) should play a vital role in the healthcare industry by delivering specialized expertise and resources that many organizations lack.

As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, MSPs/MSSPs can implement robust security measures, monitor systems in real-time, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. Their proactive approach to cybersecurity helps healthcare providers defend sensitive patient data, minimize downtime, and focus on delivering quality care, ultimately enhancing the resilience of the entire healthcare ecosystem.

To learn more about SonicWall’s finding in its 2024 SonicWall Threat Brief, please visit www.sonicwall.com/resources/brief/2024-threat-brief-healthcare.

About SonicWall

SonicWall is a cybersecurity forerunner with more than 30 years of expertise and is recognized as a leading partner-first company. With the ability to build, scale and manage security across the cloud, hybrid and traditional environments in real-time, SonicWall provides seamless protection against the most evasive cyberattacks across endless exposure points for increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled users. With its own threat research center, SonicWall can quickly and economically provide purpose-built security solutions to enable any organization—enterprise, government agencies and SMBs—around the world. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About SonicWall Capture Labs

SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers gather, analyze and vet cross-vector threat information from the SonicWall Capture Threat network, consisting of global devices and resources, including more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 215 countries and territories. SonicWall Capture Labs, which pioneered the use of artificial intelligence for threat research and protection over a decade ago, performs rigorous testing and evaluation on this data, establishes reputation scores for email senders and content, and identifies new threats in real-time.