In hospitals and clinics, every second counts. Doctors move between patients, nurses monitor critical vitals, and administrators work tirelessly to keep operations running. In the midst of this urgency, one crucial area is often left behind: cybersecurity.
It’s not that healthcare professionals are unaware of the risks—it’s that patient care always comes first. But while attention is focused on saving lives, cybercriminals are targeting the systems that support them.
A Sector Under Constant Threat
Healthcare has quietly become one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks. According to IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach report, the healthcare sector recorded the highest average cost of a data breach for the 13th year running, at a staggering USD $10.93 million per incident.
Meanwhile, research from the CyberPeace Institute in 2024 found that 70% of healthcare organisations experienced at least one cyberattack in the past year, with ransomware and data breaches topping the list. Notably, smaller clinics and specialist centres are increasingly being hit—often with devastating consequences.
Why Healthcare Is So Exposed
Several factors contribute to the vulnerability of healthcare systems:
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Outdated or legacy systems that are hard to patch or upgrade
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Limited in-house cybersecurity expertise or budget constraints
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Complex IT environments involving third-party apps and connected medical devices
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Highly sensitive data that fetches a premium on the dark web
Despite this, cybersecurity remains underfunded and underprioritised in many healthcare settings—often addressed reactively rather than proactively.
The Hidden Threat: Unpatched Vulnerabilities
One of the most commonly overlooked risks is unpatched software vulnerabilities. These unseen gaps in your systems can sit idle for months, waiting to be exploited. In a healthcare environment where everything from MRI machines to patient records is digitally connected, a single entry point can compromise an entire network.
The problem isn’t awareness—it’s capacity. IT and security teams are often stretched thin, making it difficult to stay on top of vulnerability management, especially when done manually.
Automating Protection with AI
Thankfully, there are smarter, simpler ways to stay secure.
ScoutTwo by ArmourZero is a solution designed specifically to address this issue. It’s an AI-automated vulnerability management platform that continuously scans your cloud-native applications and systems, identifies potential weaknesses, and categorises them by risk—without interrupting your operations.
What makes ScoutTwo ideal for healthcare:
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One-time integration with your existing environment
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Automated scanning and real-time monitoring
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AI-guided insights to support quicker and easier remediation
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A lightweight, cost-effective platform built for continuous protection
Putting Security Back on the Priority List
Healthcare is about trust. Patients trust providers not just with their health, but with their personal data. When systems fail due to cyberattacks, that trust—and sometimes lives—can be put at risk.
It’s time to bring cybersecurity to the front of the conversation.
Healthcare saves lives. Cybersecurity makes sure it can keep doing that—safely and reliably.
Take a smarter approach to vulnerability management with ScoutTwo. Because every second, and every system, counts.
Start for free with ScoutTwo or schedule a demo for Open XDR.
Written by:
Bernadetta Septarini (Content Marketing). Experienced content marketing and social media in the information technology and services industry.
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