If you work in healthcare—or depend on it, like almost everyone—there’s a reality that can no longer be ignored: cybersecurity has become a critical factor for continuity of care. This is no longer just about protecting patient data, but about ensuring that hospitals, clinics, and care systems can continue operating without disruption.
A new report from Fortified Health Security puts numbers behind what many professionals already sensed: in 2025, the healthcare sector doubled the number of security breaches compared to 2024. And while the volume of exposed medical records dropped significantly, that does not mean the situation has improved. On the contrary—the problem has changed shape.
At TecnetOne, we analyze what’s really happening and why healthcare is facing a perfect cybersecurity storm.
More Breaches, Fewer Headline-Grabbing Leaks
The report reveals a key shift: although intrusions increased sharply, they did not always result in massive data leaks. Why?
Attackers are increasingly prioritizing operational disruption, not just data theft.
Ransomware, system sabotage, unauthorized access to clinical platforms, and outages of critical services are taking center stage. The result may not always be a spectacular breach, but it does lead to:
- Delayed surgeries
- System outages
- Staff working without visibility
- Patients waiting longer for care
As Fortified notes, healthcare has moved from isolated large incidents to a state of constant disruption. In healthcare, that’s especially dangerous.
Ransomware Still Sets the Pace
If there is a recurring enemy in healthcare, it’s ransomware. Hospitals remain attractive targets because they:
- Cannot tolerate long downtime
- Handle extremely sensitive data
- Rely on complex, often legacy infrastructure
Many attacks now aim not only to encrypt data, but to paralyze operating rooms, diagnostic systems, or clinical management platforms. The impact directly affects patient care, increasing pressure to pay ransoms or resort to improvised recovery measures.
The Biggest Achilles’ Heel: Third-Party Vendors
One of the most alarming findings concerns third-party risk. Only 4% of healthcare organizations say they have high confidence in the adequacy of their vendor risk assessments.
In plain terms: almost no one is truly confident that their technology partners, software providers, cloud services, or external vendors are well protected.
This is critical because:
- A single compromised vendor can expose dozens of hospitals
- Many recent breaches originate outside the organization
- Dependence on third parties continues to grow
Nearly 30% of organizations openly admit they do not trust their ability to manage this risk at all. The rest operate in an uncomfortable gray zone of partial confidence.
Incident Response: Progress Without Certainty
When an attack happens, time is everything. Yet only 6% of healthcare organizations say they are very confident they can:
- Detect an incident quickly
- Contain it
- Recover without major consequences
Most describe themselves as “somewhat confident,” reflecting progress—but also hesitation. Fortified summarizes it clearly: progress exists, but there is no full confidence in speed or consistency under pressure.
In an environment where every minute matters, that uncertainty is a risk in itself.
The Human Factor: Turnover, Stress, and Lost Knowledge
Here lies a structural problem often underestimated. Healthcare is:
- Highly stressful
- Characterized by high staff turnover
- Dependent on deeply experienced professionals
Many cybersecurity programs rely on veteran staff who understand systems, exceptions, and the informal workarounds that keep operations running. When those people leave, critical knowledge leaves with them.
Designing programs around “ideal staffing” doesn’t work. As the report states:
“Strong programs don’t assume stability. They assume change—and prepare for it.”
That means documentation, automation, continuous training, and ensuring capabilities don’t vanish when roles change.
Shadow AI: The New Silent Threat
As if ransomware and vendor risk weren’t enough, healthcare now faces another challenge: shadow AI.
AI tools are entering hospitals and clinics faster than organizations can:
- Write policies
- Assess risks
- Define boundaries
Professionals are already using AI to:
- Draft reports
- Analyze data
- Summarize medical records
- Optimize daily tasks
The problem isn’t AI itself—it’s the lack of visibility and control. Uploading sensitive patient data to external tools can have serious legal, ethical, and security consequences.
Fortified is clear: banning AI is not the solution. What’s needed is:
- Visibility into which tools are being used
- Detection of unusual data uploads
- Training on how to use AI safely
Above all, AI governance must be treated as a business initiative, not a minor technical issue.
The Ongoing Tension: Security vs. Patient Care
One of healthcare’s biggest dilemmas remains budget-related. Many organizations still see cybersecurity as a cost competing directly with patient care:
“Every dollar spent on security is a dollar not spent at the bedside.”
This perception is understandable—but dangerous. When an attack shuts down a hospital, the impact on care is immediate and far greater than any preventive investment.
The key is integrating security as part of patient care, not as a separate concern.
You might also be interested in: The Importance of Cybersecurity in the Healthcare Sector
From Firefighting to Learning
Another key insight from the report is the need to operationalize lessons learned. Too many healthcare organizations extinguish the fire and move on without structural change—only to face the same issue months later.
Improving visibility into overlapping technologies, simplifying architectures, and learning from every incident is essential to avoid repeating mistakes.
What This Means for You
If you work in healthcare—or support the sector—the message is clear:
- Threats are increasing
- Complexity is not decreasing
- The margin for error is minimal
Reactive measures are not enough. Organizations need resilient programs designed for:
- Constant staff turnover
- Imperfect vendors
- Rapidly evolving technology
- Expanding use of AI
At TecnetOne, we see this report as a wake-up call. Healthcare cybersecurity is no longer a future or theoretical problem—it’s a daily operational challenge that directly impacts human lives.
Conclusion: Surviving in a State of Constant Disruption
The healthcare sector recognizes the risks, but still lacks full confidence in its ability to manage them. Ransomware, vulnerable vendors, and shadow AI are reshaping the threat landscape.
The good news is that progress is being made. The bad news is that it’s not enough unless paired with a realistic mindset: change is constant, and cybersecurity programs must be built to survive in that reality.
Because in healthcare, cybersecurity doesn’t just protect data.
It protects time, decisions—and in many cases, lives.
