Healthcare is the only industry vertical with more insiders causing data breaches, as opposed to external actors or partners, according to Verizon's 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report.
To compile the report, Verizon reviewed data security incidents across nine industries between Nov. 1, 2016, and Oct. 31, 2017. In the healthcare industry, Verizon identified 750 breach incidents, 536 of which confirmed data disclosure.
Here are four report highlights:
1. In healthcare, the majority of threat actors are internal players (56 percent), followed by external players (43 percent), partners (4 percent) and multiple parties (2 percent).
2. Of the 750 healthcare breaches, here is a breakdown of the primary causes:
- Error: 203
- Malware: 185 (ransomware accounts for 85 percent of all malware in healthcare)
- Hacking: 139
- Misuse: 138
- Social 105
- Physical: 87
3. Medical data (79 percent) is the type of information most often compromised in a healthcare breach, followed by personal data (37 percent) and payment information (4 percent).
4. Actor motives include:
- Financial: 75 percent
- Fun: 13 percent
- Convenience: 5 percent
- Espionage: 5 percent
To download the complete report, click here.