Connected media technology is transforming care. Devices observe patients in a state of flow and operate on the body, while data travels at the speed of light from ward to clinic. Hospitals use clouds for billing, imaging, and e-prescribing. Outcomes get better and work gets faster, but every new connection is another door to malicious attacks.
Recent events speak to this. In February 2024, one company fell victim to a ransomware attack, which ended up crippling claims and pharmacy services, plus authorizations, all across the nation. Later on, they confirmed that they were making a ransom payment. Subsequently, regulators and researchers went on to detail wide operational fallout.
This article narrates how cybersecurity protects medical devices, hospital systems, and patient data against threats that are typical to them. It shares practical defensive measures in clinical environments and discusses the role of evolving standards, including FDA guidance for device cybersecurity, in common threats.
Lessons from Everyday Cybersecurity
Attacks in healthcare do not differ much from attacks in consumer technology. The typical tactics that are used to compromise a social media account, including weak login credentials, unsuccessful phishing attempts, or malware, are those being implemented against hospitals as well. If one understands the rules of how to stay safe on such commonly used platforms as TikTok or Facebook, then they will have practical insight into preserving a more complex environment in medical networks.
By using these tips from daily digital life, medical IT teams can spot dangers, strengthen their defenses, and make sure patient care stays smooth.
Why Cybersecurity in Healthcare Matters
Healthcare is extremely digital today. Hospitals rely on connected devices and cloud systems for the day-to-day care of patients. While this may seem to improve the outcome as well as efficiency, in return, it exposes both the patient and provider to emerging cyber risks.
Growing Reliance on Connected Medical Technology (IoMT)
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) connects monitors, infusion pumps, and imaging systems. According to Claroty, in 2025, 99% of hospitals will operate IoMT devices with known exploited vulnerabilities. Most vulnerabilities are leveraged in ransomware campaigns. These devices run on software that is outdated, poorly encrypted, and inadequately patched. Once attacked, these devices could give attackers direct control over treatment delivery as well as access to sensitive data.
Real-World Cyberattacks on Hospitals
Care has already been disrupted by attacks. In 2024, the attack against Change Healthcare held up pharmacy services and billing across the U.S. Most of the hospitals were directly harmed by the attack on patient care. A ransomware strike against Synnovis Labs in London delayed blood tests linked to the death of a patient. Ireland’s health service was also left weeks with cancellations following a ransomware breach against the entire country.
The High Stakes
The stakes for cybersecurity in medical devices include:
- Safety: Hacked devices can delay or alter treatment.
- Privacy: Breaches expose health records and diminish trust.
- Continuity: Attacks force hospitals offline, delaying surgeries and forcing reliance on paper.
Cybersecurity is therefore inseparable from healthcare itself.
Major Threats Targeting Medical Technology
Below, we further discuss the key threats to medical technology across the world.
Malware and Ransomware
Malware can damage files, devices, and essential systems within a hospital network, thereby locking out clinicians from critical patient data. Among all types of malware threats, ransomware has been identified as the most dangerous. It does this by encrypting data and demanding a ransom to restore operations and ensure patients’ well-being.
Change Healthcare’s attack in 2024 led to millions of record exposures and pervasive service outages. For DaVita, the attack was in 2025, impacting its ability to deliver dialysis services across its network. That is why ransomware is now considered an actual patient safety threat rather than an IT nuisance.
Unauthorized Access and Data Breaches
Weak or default passwords include the absence of multi-factor authentication and the use of old security protocols. Once flaws are exploited, attackers will be enabled to undertake lateral movement inside the hospital systems.
Patient record theft has also taken front stage. In 2023 alone, over 133 million records were exposed because of breaches in healthcare data across the United States. Apart from regulatory fines that dampen patient trust, which can enable identity fraud, this makes access control and data protection very imperative.
Supply Chain and Third-Party Risks
Healthcare depends on suppliers for apparatus, programs, and providers of cloud services, but every associate also introduces their own vulnerabilities. A strike can originate from an unprotected element, feeble code, or even a tainted supplier.
This is the actual size of risk that was brought to light by the Change Healthcare incident because a simple third-party breach translated into disruption across the nation’s hospitals. Hence, supply chain security is articulated among critical challenges that require providers to practice keen vetting of partners and robust cybersecurity practices at every level.
Building Cyber-Resilient Healthcare Systems
Cyber risk touches every layer of modern care. Resilience comes from hardening identity, isolating tech, watching continuously, patching fast, and training people.
Strong Authentication and Access Control
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and privileged access management (PAM) will block the use of credentials that have been successfully compromised in so many breaches. In its guidance and in recent updates, the FDA has emphasized robust authentication, a prohibition on hardcoded passwords, and a least-privilege design for cyber devices. Healthcare should require MFA on all flavors of remote access, EHRs, plus admin accounts, and privileged session management.
Network Segmentation and Monitoring
Hospitals ought to split up their networks so that imaging, drip pumps, and life-support equipment stay separate from the main IT, which eases side moves. Join splitting with nonstop eyeing to spot odd events and risks, sticking to NIST tips and HHS 405(d), shows that there is a drive for guard-in-depth for the area.
Regular Updates and Patching
Timely updates to the OS, firmware, and applications shrink the window of opportunity for exploits against devices and clinical systems. This is reinforced in FDA premarket guidance and 2025 “select updates” to further codify Secure by Design expectations, Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), and lifecycle patching so that when vulnerabilities are discovered, manufacturers and providers can quickly remediate.
Employee Training and Awareness
Social engineering is still a major field in healthcare. HHS 405(d) materials surface phishing and related scams, as well as training resources for role-based activities. Regular simulations plus just-in-time education make staff report suspicious messages better, protect credentials, and reduce click-through risk when the real incident happens.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity has found its place in modern healthcare and cannot be displaced. The higher the usage of connected devices, cloud systems, and third-party vendors by a hospital, the higher the probability of successful ransomware attacks, data theft, or even a simple outage that may occur. Protection of medical technology and avoidance of hacked medical devices is not solely information security; it means patient safety, preserved trust, preserved care, and uninterrupted care.
Strong authentication, network isolation, fast patching, and training people build resilience in the face of a continuously evolving threat landscape. What was long seen as just an IT issue is now understood to be the foundation of safe, reliable medicine today in this digital age.
This article was written for WHN by Nika Simones, who is a marketing consultant and content strategist with more than 5 years of expertise in digital communication. She focuses on influencer marketing and content production for specific audiences. Helps businesses strike a balance between corporate aims and customer trust.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN neither agrees nor disagrees with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement.
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