The cybersecurity risks in healthcare are absolutely unique. Although technology is essential for improving patient care, healthcare institutions face a triple challenge: a large attack surface, outdated security systems and increasing regulatory pressure.
The limited budget of public sector organisations is an additional challenge. The European Commission recognises this and launched a comprehensive action plan in January 2025 to strengthen the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers across the EU. This effort emphasises how crucial it is to invest in the digital security of healthcare institutions, regardless of whether they are public or private entities.
Below, we highlight the three most pressing cybersecurity challenges within the healthcare sector and how an AI-driven platform approach can help organisations streamline processes, reduce costs and strengthen resilience.
Challenge #1: a large attack surface
Healthcare providers are often an easy target for hackers. Research by Unit 42 shows that the speed of cyber attacks is increasing, with attackers now stealing data three times faster than in 2021.
In healthcare specifically, it used to be mainly the hospital itself that needed to be secured. But with increasing digitisation and the move to the cloud, a growing number of medical records, diagnostic data and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technologies now also need to be taken into account.
By 2026, more than 70 percent of medical devices – from ultrasound to wearables – will be digitally connected, significantly increasing the attack surface. They are often connected faster than they are properly secured. The State of OT Security report shows that recovering from a single breach on a connected device costs an average of £10,000 to £50,000.
Phishing remains the main point of entry in all sectors. Now that AI is making phishing campaigns scalable and more difficult to detect and combat, it is becoming even more urgent for the healthcare sector to address this problem and the ever-increasing attack surface.
Challenge #2: Outdated software
Not only does the growing number of healthcare devices in the healthcare sector complicate security, but the lack of up-to-date security software is also a major problem. Devices have a long life cycle, and operating systems are often not updated and security patches are not installed. For example, there are still many cases where scanners and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines run on outdated software such as Windows 7.
Updating devices is often complex and depends on the manufacturer. In one example where 100 imaging devices showed a vulnerability, it turned out that manufacturers had to connect via a fixed password to perform maintenance. However, this password was openly stated in the user manual, giving anyone within the hospital network access to the devices and allowing them to read and open files. Such situations occur regularly and make these devices particularly vulnerable to abuse.
Challenge #3: Regulation
As in other sectors, healthcare providers closely follow new regulations, especially as these can affect their compliance requirements. Medical equipment is an area that is likely to receive more attention from regulators.
In the context of the development and revision of regulations, there are now specialised companies that focus on digital public infrastructure (DPI) and support healthcare providers in complying with guidelines such as the EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR). This regulation stipulates that cybersecurity must be integrated throughout the entire lifecycle of medical devices. The additional tools that come with this can actually make an organisation's overall security position more complex. When the number of security products used becomes too large, healthcare providers may not only find it difficult to protect themselves effectively against cyber risks, but also to remain compliant.
New regulations are intended to protect organisations and their stakeholders, but they also entail additional costs, which can be a significant challenge for healthcare providers with limited budgets. According to Climedo, medtech companies expect to spend 5 per cent of their annual turnover on compliance with EU MDR legislation. Combined with the fact that non-compliance can lead to legal sanctions or fines, healthcare providers find themselves in a difficult situation.
The solution
The healthcare sector is shifting from treatment to prevention, and security strategies must follow suit. This starts with an assessment. Through simulations or a clear overview of data and devices, CISOs gain insight into device usage and risks.
To stay ahead of hackers, AI is an indispensable part of cyber defence strategies. AI can proactively collect threat information, detect threats at an early stage and, above all, protect against AI-driven attacks, which are becoming increasingly common. Attracting staff with the right skills to optimally utilise and effectively manage AI-based defence systems is essential in this regard.
Organisations that conduct cyber risk assessments often find that many security problems arise from using too many different solutions. By focusing on consolidating, integrating and simplifying security functions, organisations can improve their overall security level without spending extra time managing multiple vendors. Platformisation, bringing all tools together on a single platform, is therefore the key to modern cyber security.
Given the current pressure on security teams, a platform-based approach improves efficiency, freeing up resources for strategic business priorities. This obviously requires sufficient budget, rather than security teams having to do more and more with less. Nevertheless, consolidation ensures that every pound spent delivers just a little more value.
