Ransomware attacks at big health systems declined in the first half of 2024.
Here are four things to know from the October report from cyber insurer Coalition, which analyzed claims data:
1. Healthcare businesses with $100 million or more in revenue experienced 32% fewer ransomware attacks in the first half of the year compared to the second half of 2023.
2. However, ransomware events at those healthcare organizations were still up 134% compared to the first half of 2023.
3. Ransomware gangs tend to take a break during the summer months and ramp up their activity during the winter holidays — "a conscious attempt by threat actors to go unnoticed within a system at times when businesses are typically slower to react." Last year, cybercriminals hacked Ardent Health, a 30-hospital system based in Nashville, Tenn., on Thanksgiving.
4. The biggest healthcare hack of all time took place in early 2024. The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth Group claims processing subsidiary Change Healthcare affected nearly 23% of healthcare businesses with $100 million-plus in revenue and 11% of organizations with revenue between $25 million and $100 million.