Keeping data safe is very important, especially in areas like Digital Health. With the increasing use of digital health tools like electronic health records, telemedicine, health apps, and wearable devices, healthcare has changed a lot. But, this also brings new challenges in keeping private data safe.

Data security in Digital Health is crucial to keeping patients’ personal and health information safe from hackers. Medical records are a target for cybercriminals because they contain valuable details that can be used for identity theft, financial fraud, and healthcare scams.

Recently, our Infosec Manager Pavlo Biloivan gave an interview to Safety Detectives, in which he discussed cybersecurity, its challenges, trends, and technologies, as well as ways to ensure personal cybersecurity and online privacy based on Gera-IT experience. 

Dive deeper into the interview at the Safety Detectives to learn more. 

The top data breach statistics for 2023 and the Q1 of 2024

  1. In 2023, there were over 5,000 reported data breaches globally, compromising billions of records. (Source: Risk Based Security)
  2. The average cost of a healthcare data breach reached nearly $11 million in 2023, an increase of 8% from last year and a 53% jump since 2020. (Source: IBM Security) 
  3. Ransomware attacks accounted for 30% of data breaches in 2023, with cyber criminals demanding an average ransom payment of $170,000. (Source: Cybersecurity Ventures)
  4. The healthcare industry was the most targeted sector for data breaches in 2023, accounting for 31% of all reported incidents. (Source: HIPAA Journal)
  5. Insider threats were responsible for 34% of data breaches in 2023, highlighting the importance of employee training and monitoring. (Source: Verizon DBIR)
  6. In the first quarter of 2024, there were already over 1,000 reported data breaches, indicating a continued trend of cyberattacks targeting organizations. (Source: Statista)
  7. Phishing attacks have significantly increased in Q1 2024, with 67% of data breaches involving phishing emails as the initial attack vector. (Source: Proofpoint)
  8. Medical records, personal information, and financial data were the most common types of data exposed in data breaches in the digital health sector in 2023.
  9. The financial services industry remains the second top target for cybercriminals in 2024, with 27% of data breaches occurring in this sector. (Source: Identity Theft Resource Center)
  10. The cost of a data breach is projected to continue rising in 2024, with estimates suggesting that the average cost could exceed $5 million by the end of the year. (Source: Cybersecurity Ventures)

Summary

The statistics underscore the growing cybersecurity challenges and the urgent need for organizations to prioritize data security measures to safeguard client information and maintain trust in the service providers.

If you need any assistance in creating secure software products – Contact us!

If you want to find more – read previous article from Pavlo – How to develop a GDPR-Compliant App: A Comprehensive Guide for EU and UK

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