Fraud Management & Cybercrime , Healthcare , Industry Specific

Healthcare Dilemma: Pay the Ransom, Get Hacked Again

Ransomware attacks in healthcare continue to soar, driven by the financial gain attackers receive when hospitals pay ransom. These institutions often find themselves repeatedly targeted due to this willingness to pay, said Josh Wasserman, northeast area vice president at Semperis.

See Also: Corelight's Brian Dye on NDR's Role in Defeating Ransomware

Identity systems, particularly Active Directory, play a critical role in these incidents, Wasserman said. Compromised AD systems, he said, can disrupt operations, disrupting everything from computer logins to building access.

"If we keep paying again, they're going to keep coming. Hackers talk to each other … And if one successfully attacks and breaches one entity, his friend's going to find out, and he's going to want to do the same thing," Wasserman said. "If an entity, a hospital or healthcare network pays one [hacker], there's a good chance their data will not be given back to them, or will be given back to them and it'll be corrupt and they can't recover. Or, even worse, it'll be leaked anyway."

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at the 2024 Healthcare Cybersecurity Summit, Wasserman also discussed:

• The lessons learned from the Change Healthcare attack;
• The need for continuous monitoring and proactive security measures;
• Semperis' approach of helping organizations prepare for potential attacks.

Wasserman has 14 years of experience in cybersecurity, with expertise in direct and channel sales, strategic account management, and sales processes. Prior to Semperis, he was the senior sales director at Tenable.