The incidence of ransomware attacks is expected to double in 2017, according to a Beazley analysis of 2016 data.
For the report, Beazley — a London, U.K.-based cybersecurity insurance company with offices in Asia, Australia, Middle East, South America and the United States — analyzed ransomware attacks it has handled over the past few years. The company found ransomware has more than quadrupled in 2016 compared with 2015, with almost half of 2016 attacks taking place in the healthcare sector.
Here are the top sources of healthcare cyberattacks in 2016.
1. Unintended disclosure: 40 percent
2. Hack or malware: 19 percent
3. Insider: 12 percent
4. Physical loss: 12 percent
5. Other/unknown: 9 percent
6. Portable device: 8 percent
In 2015, hacks or malware accounted for 27 percent of cyberattacks; this trend suggests the healthcare industry might be improving its defenses, according to Beazley. However, last year's top source of security incident, unintended disclosure, was up from 30 percent in 2015.