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New IDC Health Insights Report Identifies Impact of Cyber Threats and Successful Attacks Against Healthcare OrganizationsFRAMINGHAM, Mass. --(Business Wire)-- IDC Health Insights today announced a new report, Business Strategy: Thwarting Cyber Threats and Attacks Against Healthcare Organizations, (Doc #HI251775). The new report features findings from the 2014 IDC (News - Alert) Insights Cross Industry Cyber Threat Survey, designed to gauge how financial services, healthcare provider organizations, and retailers are responding to increasing cyber threats and the impact of successful attacks on business operations. This IDC Health Insights study also highlights how healthcare organizations are investing in their cyber strategy to protect their most valuable electronic assets.
Today's healthcare organizations are at greater risk of a cyber attack than ever before, in part because electronic health information is more widely available today than in the nearly 20 years since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed in 1996. Cyber criminals view healthcare organizations as a soft target compared to financial services and retailers because historically healthcare organizations have invested less in IT, including security technologies and services, than other industries, thus making them more vulnerable to successful cyber attacks. The value of health information, which can be used to commit medical fraud, is surpassing the value of social security and credit card numbers on the black market, thus increasing the attractiveness of stealing health information. Key findings include:
Cyber attacks against healthcare organizations will assuredly increase in number and level of sophistication in the next 12 to 24 months. As other industries become more proficient at thwarting cyber attacks, cyber criminals will continue to cast their nets wider to find vulnerable information assets to exploit. IDC Health Insights expects over time that spending allocations will change to support predict and prevent security strategies rather than defend and remediate strategies. According to the new report, to take a more proactive stance in protecting themselves against cyber threats and attacks, healthcare organizations will need to invest in threat intelligence reporting, which combines reports from security vendors and the organization's own network logs. Predictive analytics can then be applied against these external and internal data feeds to help identify behaviors that suggest that systems are being compromised and under attack. For additional information about this report or to arrange a one-on-one briefing with Lynne Dunbrack, please contact Sarah Murray at 781-378-2674 or [email protected]. Reports are available to qualified members of the media. For information on purchasing reports, contact [email protected]; reporters should email [email protected]. About IDC Health Insights IDC Health Insights assists health businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the payer, provider and life sciences industries. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-hi.com, email [email protected], or call 508-935-4445. Visit the IDC Health Insights Community at http://idc-community.com/health.
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