From October 2009 to October 2024, ransomware and hacking have increasingly driven healthcare data breaches, a May 14 study published in JAMA Network Open found.
The study examined ransomware attacks and other hacking incidents across all healthcare organizations covered by HIPAA from October 2009 through October 2024. It analyzed breaches affecting 500 or more patient records that were reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights.
Here are six key findings from the study:
- The number of PHI data breaches more than doubled—from 216 in 2010 to 566 in 2024.
- Hacking and other IT-related incidents are now the main cause of breaches. In 2010, they made up just 4% of cases (8 out of 216). By 2024, they accounted for 81% (457 out of 566).
- Ransomware attacks, which were nonexistent in 2010, peaked in 2021—making up 31% of breaches (222 out of 715). By 2024, that number had dropped to 11% (61 out of 566).
- The number of patient records affected grew from 6 million in 2010 to 170 million in 2024. Hacking was responsible for just 2% of affected records in 2010 but made up 91% by 2024.
- From 2010 to 2024, 732 million patient records were exposed. Of those, 88% (643 million) were linked to hacking or IT issues, and 39% (285 million) were tied specifically to ransomware.
- Since 2020, ransomware has impacted more than half of all patients affected by data breaches each year. In 2024 alone, 69% of affected patients were linked to ransomware attacks.
