Introduction:
The healthcare sector is a common target for cybercriminals and they frequently hack into this sector through malware. In addition to this, there are various other channels through which cybercriminals try to infiltrate the healthcare system. This paper highlights some of these channels as well as the most common types of cybercrimes committed within the healthcare sector.
What causes cybercrimes?
There are many reasons behind cybercrimes, but the most common ones are:
- Greed: The first and foremost reason behind cybercrimes is greed, as cybercriminals try to infiltrate the healthcare sector in order to earn huge amounts of money. This happens because there is a great deal of data which can be used for fraud.
- Anger: Cybercriminals may also hack into computer systems in order to spread their message or out of sheer anger against the particular country or organization, but this happens rarely.
- Knowledge: Most common hackers use their knowledge for hacking systems for fun and challenge, but their motive at times may also be knowledge rather than other reasons.
- Personal reasons: Some cybercriminals hack computer systems for personal benefits. This can be done by extracting credit card information or by snooping on other people’s private details.
How are cybercrimes committed?
In order to gain access to the healthcare system, cybercriminals mostly use hacking tools and malware. Then they steal data from the victimized organization and sell it in the black market in order to earn huge amounts of money. The criminals also try to blackmail organizations which have stored personal information about their customers or employees. Thus, it is clear that the healthcare sector has become a common target for cybercriminals because there is a lot of confidential data available with them which can be used for fraud purposes or other illegal gains.
Why Is the Healthcare Sector A Popular Target For Cybercriminals?
The healthcare sector is a very attractive one for cybercriminals mainly because there is a lot of data about the people who use hospitals and purchase prescription medicines. In addition to this, these people are more vulnerable due to the fact that they are not aware of how their data is being used by others. The healthcare sector has also become an attractive target for cybercriminals because the medical industry unofficially has been declared as a “cash cow” for them.
How Cybercriminals Weaponize the Healthcare Sector?
In order to hack into any healthcare organization, cybercriminals firstly exploit the vulnerabilities within this sector which have already been identified by various security researchers. Then they target the most vulnerable organizations who don’t have cybersecurity for healthcare.
Cybercriminals have always been using various channels for hacking into the healthcare sector, but recently the biggest threat has been malware. This is because malware is effective and easy to spread. Apart from this, the healthcare sector has minimal security measures in place. This can be seen by looking at various cases of hacking over last few years. So cybercriminals use malware in order to hack into systems and then wreak havoc within the healthcare sector.
The most common malware used by cybercriminals within the healthcare sector is Black Energy because it is easy to use and avoids most sophisticated detection. In addition to this, Black Energy malware only affects Windows machines which are vulnerable based on the patched version or outdated software.
How Do Cybercriminals Target the Healthcare Sector?
The healthcare industry has a great deal of information about patients, physicians and their employees. This makes it an ideal target for cybercriminals targeting different objectives such as stealing this data, blackmailing organizations and political activism. Cybercriminals target different sectors within the healthcare sector each time in order to cover all the bases. This starts with emails which are sent out by hackers who then download some viruses or malware inside them. This is followed by the installation of the malware which then steals the data. Thus, it can be seen that there are many channels through which cybercriminals try to penetrate the healthcare sector and hack into computer systems.
The most common way in which cybercriminals target the healthcare sector is through malware, as it is easy to use and avoids detection by most security software. Cybercriminals also use social engineering attacks as well as hacking devices such as cell phones of hospital employees for targeting the healthcare sector. Organized criminal groups also do this by targeting some specific hospitals or physicians and then blackmailing them with confidential data they have stolen.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we can see that many cyberattacks have been committed against the healthcare industry. There were issues related to data breaches and information leakage in the healthcare sector as well as ransomware attacks. Cybersecurity for healthcare is a must; cybercriminals have been able to create a lot of problems for the healthcare sector. We also observed that there are various reasons behind these attacks, but greed is the most common reason. In addition to this, malware has become a popular weapon used by cybercriminals within the healthcare sector within recent years because it is easy to use and doesn’t require much expertise or knowledge.