Healthcare continues to face a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape as we head into 2026. Hospitals, clinics, and their business associates are experiencing more frequent attacks and larger data breaches than ever before. In fact, the number of reported healthcare breaches has surged dramatically over the past decade, making cybersecurity a top concern for IT leaders in the healthcare industry. High-impact incidents—from ransomware crippling hospital operations to hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in medical devices—underscore that cyber security in the healthcare industry is no longer just an IT issue, but a patient safety issue and business risk. This report provides a plain-language breakdown of the macro and micro trends shaping healthcare cyber risks in 2026, backed by data and expert insights.
Top 5 Healthcare Cybersecurity Threats in 2026
What should healthcare IT leaders prepare for in 2026? Below are the top five cybersecurity threats and challenges likely to dominate in the healthcare sector next year:
- Ransomware and Double-Extortion Attacks: Ransomware remains the #1 cyber threat to healthcare, with attacks growing in frequency and severity. Criminal groups increasingly steal sensitive data (not just encrypt it) to extort payments, putting patient information at high risk of exposure.
- Vulnerabilities in Medical IoT Devices: The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) – from infusion pumps to patient monitors—is expanding rapidly. These connected devices widen the attack surface and often run outdated software, making them prime targets for hackers if not properly secured.
- Cloud Breaches and Third-Party Vendor Risks: Healthcare’s reliance on cloud services and third-party vendors (e.g. EHR hosts, billing processors) means a single breach at a business associate can cascade across dozens of healthcare providers. Recent mega-breaches show that third-party incidents can expose millions of patient records in one go.
- OCR Enforcement and Regulatory Pressure: Regulators are cracking down on cybersecurity compliance. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has made HIPAA Security Rule enforcement a priority, penalizing organizations that fail to implement basic safeguards like risk analysis. New regulations (e.g. proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule) are on the horizon to strengthen cyber defenses.
- Hybrid Work and Remote Access Vulnerabilities: The rise of remote and hybrid work in healthcare introduces new security gaps. Employees connecting from home or on the go can inadvertently bypass corporate protections, and attackers are exploiting unsecured remote access points and phishing remote workers more than ever.
Let’s explore each of these trends in more detail, including why they matter and how they impact healthcare organizations.
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Ransomware: Healthcare’s #1 Cyber Threat
Ransomware continues to be the most dangerous and disruptive cyber threat facing healthcare. Criminal ransomware gangs—often based overseas—know that hospitals and clinics are highly sensitive to downtime and may pay quickly to restore operations. Recent data shows ransomware attacks surged by 36% in late 2025 compared to the previous year, with the healthcare sector singled out in over one-third of all reported attacks. In one analysis, healthcare suffered 86 ransomware attacks in just a three-month period, representing 32% of all known ransomware incidents—more than twice as many as the next most-targeted industry.
Modern ransomware attacks also steal data as leverage. An estimated 96% of ransomware incidents targeting healthcare now involve data exfiltration (the “double extortion” model). Hackers exfiltrate patient records and other sensitive files before encrypting systems, then threaten to publish the data if the ransom isn’t paid. This puts millions of patients at risk of identity theft and privacy violations. (In fact, most of the breach notification letters these days do not even disclose if ransomware was the cause, which makes it harder for victims to protect themselves.)
The impact on patient care from ransomware can be severe. Beyond privacy breaches, operational outages have delayed treatments and crippled critical services. For example, a February 2024 ransomware attack on a major healthcare IT vendor led to a catastrophic outage: payment and claims processing systems were halted for around two months, leaving hospitals unable to verify insurance or process prescriptions. This disruption resulted in care delays and even patients going without essential medications. The incident affected nearly 190 million Americans’ health records, making it the largest healthcare data breach on record. Such scenarios underscore that ransomware is not just an IT problem—it’s a direct threat to patient safety and healthcare operations.
Why is ransomware so prevalent in healthcare? Hospitals often have a low tolerance for downtime, complex IT environments (mix of old and new systems), and may lag in security resources, making them attractive targets. Attackers also know that health data is lucrative. Stolen medical records fetch high prices on the black market due to the rich personal details they contain (Social Security numbers, medical histories, insurance info, etc.). All of these factors mean ransomware gangs will likely continue hammering healthcare in 2026, using ever more sophisticated tactics such as targeting backup systems, exploiting third-party software vulnerabilities, and even skipping file encryption entirely to focus on pure data theft extortion.
Key takeaway for 2026: IT leaders should expect ransomware to remain enemy #1. Prepare by strengthening defenses like network segmentation, up-to-date offline backups, 24/7 monitoring for signs of data exfiltration, and robust incident response plans. Given that even detecting an attack quickly is crucial (some groups now breach and exfiltrate data within days or hours), investing in early detection capabilities is vital. Ransomware is a when, not if, scenario – but proactive measures can reduce the damage.
Medical IoT Under Siege: Securing the Internet of Medical Things
The proliferation of connected medical devices—the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)—is a double-edged sword for healthcare. On one hand, networked devices like smart infusion pumps, wireless patient monitors, and IoT-enabled imaging systems deliver significant clinical benefits. They allow real-time monitoring, remote adjustment of devices, and seamless data flow into electronic records. On the other hand, each connected device is a potential cyber entry point, and many such devices have not been built with strong security in mind.
The scale of this issue is huge and growing. Industry research predicts that by 2026, smart hospitals will deploy over 7 million IoMT devices, more than double the number in 2021. Every one of these devices—from insulin pumps to heart rate sensors—runs software that could contain vulnerabilities. In fact, a 2022 FBI report found 53% of connected medical devices and other IoT devices had at least one known critical vulnerability unpatched. Many healthcare IoT devices run on legacy or outdated operating systems; roughly 1 in 5 connected medical devices are running on unsupported OS platforms that no longer receive security updates. This is a recipe for trouble: attackers can exploit these unpatched flaws to gain a foothold in hospital networks, potentially stealing sensitive data or even tampering with device function.
Real-world examples underscore the risk. Security researchers in recent years have demonstrated hacks of insulin pumps and pacemakers, showing how an attacker could alter dosage or deplete batteries. While no major incident of patient harm from a cyberattack has been publicly confirmed as of 2025, the potential for a cybersecurity incident to impact patient safety is very real. The FDA has explicitly warned that as medical devices become more interconnected, cybersecurity incidents could impact device effectiveness and patient care. For instance, malware on a CT scanner or IV pump could delay a procedure or force a device offline during an emergency.
Healthcare IT leaders should also note that regulators are responding to the IoT security challenge. The FDA in 2023–2025 rolled out new requirements under the PATCH Act and related guidances that treat medical device cybersecurity as part of device safety. As of 2025, any “cyber device” (medical device with software or connectivity) seeking FDA approval must include a cybersecurity plan in its premarket submission. Manufacturers are required to ensure devices can be updated and patched, provide a software bill of materials (SBOM), and design security controls (like data encryption, user authentication, etc.) into the product. It’s even now a prohibited act for device makers to fail to maintain reasonable cybersecurity processes for marketed devices. This heightened scrutiny means that device vendors will gradually produce more secure products—but it also means providers must maintain those protections (e.g. applying vendor patches in a timely manner and replacing legacy devices that can’t be secured).
Key takeaway for 2026: The explosion of IoMT devices in hospitals vastly expands the attack surface. IT teams should prioritize IoT device management and network security – know what devices are connected, segment them on separate networks, change default passwords, and apply security patches when available. Consider solutions for continuous monitoring of medical device security, since traditional antivirus may not work on these specialized devices. Also engage your biomedical engineering and procurement teams: security should be a factor when acquiring new medical tech. With IoT, a single vulnerable infusion pump or nurse call system can become the weakest link that lets attackers into your environment.
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Cloud Breaches and Third-Party Risks on the Rise
Modern healthcare is highly interconnected, relying on a multitude of third-party vendors and cloud-based services to deliver care. Electronic health records may be hosted by cloud providers; revenue cycle management and billing are often outsourced; radiology images are stored in cloud PACS systems; and innumerable third-party apps and consultants have access to patient data. This digital supply chain brings efficiency, but it also concentrates risk: a single breach at a major service provider can expose data from dozens or hundreds of covered entities at once.
We saw this vividly in 2024 when a ransomware attack on a health IT firm (a claims clearinghouse) compromised the health records of over 190 million Americans across many client organizations. By the end of 2024, the total number of individuals reported as having their healthcare data hacked hit 259 million – an all-time high. (For perspective, that’s roughly 75% of the U.S. population.) Well over three-quarters of those records came from that single vendor breach. And 2023 wasn’t quiet either: about 138 million individuals’ records were hacked in 2023, largely due to another third-party incident – the exploitation of a popular file-transfer software (MoveIT) used by many organizations. In that case, a Russian ransomware group (Clop) exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the file-transfer app, which led to hundreds of organizations (including healthcare entities) suffering data breaches simultaneously when their data was stolen via the compromised software.
According to the American Hospital Association’s cyber analysts, over 80% of all stolen patient records in recent years have been taken from third-party vendors, business associates, and other non-hospital providers. In other words, the bulk of breached PHI isn’t being hacked directly out of hospital EHR databases – it’s stolen from external partners or peripheral systems. And notably, over 90% of hacked records were stored outside of core electronic health record systems, often in less protected environments (like cloud file shares, email accounts, or backup repositories). This highlights a common blind spot: health systems may have robust security for their primary EHR, but PHI living in other places (contractor systems, cloud storage, old databases) can be left exposed.
The trend for 2026 is that cyber criminals will continue to target the “weak links” in the healthcare supply chain. Attackers frequently go after third parties knowing they might be less defended than a large hospital. Once in, they can pivot to steal data from multiple client organizations. We also see misconfigured cloud storage (like unsecured AWS S3 buckets or open cloud databases) leading to accidental exposures of millions of records. If a vendor fails to secure an API or uses a default credential, that single mistake can leak troves of patient data.
For healthcare CIOs and CISOs, third-party risk management is therefore paramount. You should maintain an inventory of all vendors with access to PHI and regularly assess their security controls. Ask tough questions: Do they encrypt data? How do they authenticate remote access? Are they up to date on patches? It’s also wise to limit the data you share with partners to the minimum necessary. The AHA advises that many providers lack visibility into where all their data resides—especially as it flows to cloud apps and service providers. Strengthening contracts with security requirements, insisting on breach notification timelines, and reviewing vendors’ audit reports can all help. Additionally, consider technical safeguards like tokenization or encryption of data before it goes to third parties, so that even if a vendor is breached, the stolen data is less useful.
Key takeaway for 2026: Expect more large-scale breaches via third parties. No healthcare organization is an island; your security is only as strong as the weakest partner in your ecosystem. Implement robust third-party risk governance: vet new vendors carefully, continuously monitor critical partners, and have contingency plans for when a key service provider is hit with ransomware or goes offline. Investing in cyber insurance and ensuring your business associate agreements cover security obligations is also prudent given the rising tide of supply-chain attacks.
OCR Enforcement and Regulatory Focus on Cybersecurity
Healthcare entities not only have to worry about criminals – they must also answer to regulators. In 2026, expect the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) (the enforcement arm for HIPAA) to maintain a strong focus on cybersecurity compliance and to impose penalties for significant security lapses. Over the past year, OCR has markedly stepped up enforcement of the HIPAA Security Rule, particularly following large breaches.
In the first five months of 2025 alone, OCR announced 10 settlements with healthcare organizations over data breaches, with fines reaching into the millions. Despite the varied nature of the breaches (ransomware incidents, phishing attacks, lost devices, etc.), OCR found a common theme in each case: the organization had failed to implement fundamental Security Rule requirements, especially the requirement to conduct an enterprise-wide security risk analysis. Essentially, regulators are discovering that many breached entities never properly assessed their vulnerabilities in the first place – and they are holding those organizations accountable for it.
OCR’s recent enforcement actions highlight that neglecting basic cybersecurity hygiene can lead to serious consequences. In several 2025 cases, covered entities and business associates had to pay fines ranging from $25,000 up to $3,000,000 for HIPAA violations, and almost all were required to implement corrective action plans mandating a comprehensive risk analysis and security improvements. The message from OCR is loud and clear: performing regular risk assessments and addressing identified risks is not optional – it’s absolutely required. No healthcare organization, large or small, is exempt from this expectation. As OCR stated, a thorough risk analysis is “one of the simplest and most effective tools” to prevent breaches, and failing to do it will draw regulatory scrutiny.
Beyond enforcing existing rules, regulators are also updating the rules to address modern threats. HHS has proposed significant updates to the HIPAA Security Rule for the first time in years, aimed at strengthening ePHI protections in light of today’s cyber landscape. These proposed changes (unveiled in late 2024) include more explicit requirements for safeguards that until now have been implied or “addressable.” For example, mandatory use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access and other critical system access is on the table – with OCR proposing to define “multi-factor authentication” in the rule and require its deployment on all relevant systems. Other likely changes involve stricter access controls, improved audit logging, and updated definitions to cover new technologies. While these proposals were still under review at the start of 2025, it’s expected that by 2026 some will be finalized, raising the bar for compliance.
We also see broader government initiatives influencing healthcare cybersecurity. The White House’s National Cybersecurity Strategy and various agency guidances (from HHS 405(d) task force publications to NIST framework updates) are pushing the sector toward “zero trust” principles and secure-by-design practices. Even the Department of Justice has gotten involved – for instance, using the False Claims Act to pursue a medical device maker that allegedly failed to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities in its products. This implies that lying about or neglecting cybersecurity can be seen as defrauding the government if you’re under federal contract, adding another avenue of enforcement.
Key takeaway for 2026: Healthcare providers and their partners should treat cybersecurity compliance as mission-critical, not an afterthought. Ensure you have an up-to-date HIPAA risk analysis and risk management plan – OCR expects to see that if you have a breach. Implement “reasonable and appropriate” security measures (encryption, access controls, network safeguards, etc.) and document your efforts. It’s wise to keep an eye on regulatory changes: start enabling multi-factor authentication and other best practices now, as they are likely to become explicit requirements soon. By investing in compliance and aligning with frameworks (like the HHS Cybersecurity Performance Goals or NIST CSF) that translate threats into actionable safeguards, you not only avoid fines but genuinely improve your security posture against real threats.
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Hybrid Work Expands the Attack Surface
The COVID-19 pandemic permanently changed how healthcare works, accelerating trends toward remote and hybrid work. Even clinical staff now often do telehealth sessions from home, and a great many administrative, billing, and IT personnel have shifted to either fully remote or hybrid schedules. While this flexibility has benefits, it also increases cybersecurity vulnerabilities in several ways:
- Home and Public Networks: When employees access sensitive systems from home Wi-Fi or coffee-shop internet, they aren’t protected by the hospital’s secure network perimeter. Personal routers may be poorly secured, and home networks can be infected with malware that sniffs credentials. According to industry surveys, more than 80% of businesses believe that hybrid working has increased the risk of data breaches – mainly because staff are regularly moving between the relatively secure office environment and much less secure home or public Data that was once kept inside the hospital walls is now traversing unknown networks.
- Personal Devices and Shadow IT: Remote workers might use personal laptops or phones to log into work apps if not carefully managed, potentially bypassing endpoint security controls. Devices are also being transported more frequently, so the chances of laptops or phones being lost or stolen (with sensitive data on them) go up. It’s no surprise that about 23% of business leaders in one survey cited hybrid work as their top breach threat, specifically pointing to the risks of employees handling sensitive data on unsecured devices and networks. Physical security of data becomes harder when thumb drives, printouts, or devices leave the facility.
- Remote Access Infrastructure: Supporting remote access means things like VPNs, remote desktop portals, and cloud collaboration tools are now mission-critical – and attackers know it. If these gateways aren’t locked down, attackers can exploit them. A case in point: the largest healthcare breach ever (2024’s 192-million-record incident) originated through a compromised remote access server that lacked multi-factor The attackers found a vulnerable Citrix remote access service and, without MFA in place, that was their ticket into the network. This illustrates how VPNs and remote desktops, if not properly secured, can be wide open doors for hackers to stroll through.
- Phishing and Social Engineering: Remote workers may actually be more susceptible to phishing attempts. Being outside the office environment, they might be distracted by home events or feel less cautious. They can’t as readily double-check with a colleague in person if a suspicious email comes in. During the height of COVID, phishing exploits skyrocketed as criminals took advantage of the chaos. Even now, with hybrid work normalized, phishing remains the top digital fraud threat globally, and many incidents begin with a staffer clicking a malicious link while at home. Attackers also impersonate IT support or leadership in emails or messaging apps, preying on remote staff who can’t verify the person’s identity in person.
In 2026, hybrid work is here to stay, so healthcare organizations must adapt their security to this reality. This means extending the security perimeter to wherever your employees are. Some best practices include: requiring multi-factor authentication for all remote logins (to prevent the stolen-password scenario), using virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) or secure gateways so that data isn’t stored on home machines, and enforcing endpoint protection (like EDR software) on any device used for work. Regular security awareness training is also crucial—remote staff should be reminded to beware of phishing and to use company-approved cloud services rather than unvetted apps. Additionally, network teams can implement Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) principles, which treat every login—whether on-premise or remote—as potentially untrusted until verified.
Organizations might also consider providing secure home networking kits for high-risk staff or at least guidelines for securing home routers (e.g. changing default passwords, enabling WPA3 encryption). And don’t forget about incident response: have a plan for responding to a breach that might involve remote endpoints. If a doctor’s home laptop is compromised, do you have the means to lock down that device or wipe it remotely? Planning for these scenarios is part of the new normal.
Key takeaway for 2026: Hybrid work expands the attack surface beyond the clinic’s four walls. Healthcare IT leaders should bolster remote access security and foster a security-first culture among staff, no matter where they work. The organizations that securely enable hybrid work will reap the benefits of flexibility without compromising patient data, whereas those that ignore the new risks may find themselves the next breach headline.
Preparing for 2026: Strengthening Healthcare Cyber Defenses
Given these trends—ransomware, IoT vulnerabilities, third-party breaches, regulatory pressures, and hybrid work risks—what should healthcare IT leaders do to stay ahead of threats in 2026? Here are some final recommendations:
- Double-Down on Fundamentals: Ensure the basics are covered. This includes up-to-date software patching (especially for internet-facing systems and medical device firmware), strong access controls (unique logins, least privilege, and MFA everywhere feasible), network segmentation (separating clinical device networks from general IT and from the internet), and reliable data backups. Many breaches exploit unforced errors like outdated software or poor network hygiene. Covering these bases can thwart a large share of opportunistic attacks.
- Conduct a Fresh Risk Analysis: Use the new year as an opportunity to perform or update your enterprise-wide security risk assessment (as required by HIPAA). Identify your crown jewels (e.g. EHR databases, imaging archives, etc.), map out where all ePHI resides (including with third parties), and evaluate threats to those assets. Don’t neglect “hidden” data stores—old servers, research data sets, or acquired clinics’ systems. Once you know your risk landscape, prioritize remediation for your high-risk gaps. Regulators expect this, and it will inform budget needs and strategy.
- Embrace Frameworks and Best Practices: Leverage established cybersecurity frameworks tailored for healthcare. For example, HHS’s Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) lay out high-impact practices to defeat common attack tactics (like phishing, ransomware, and exploiting known vulnerabilities). The healthcare industry’s own HICP guidance (Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices) outlines the top 5 threats and corresponding best practices—a great starting point for checklist-based improvements. Additionally, the updated NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 provides a comprehensive roadmap to manage and reduce risk. Aligning your security program with these frameworks can help ensure you’re covering all critical areas. They also serve as a common language to communicate needs to executives and board members.
- Enhance Third-Party Oversight: As noted, third-party breaches are rampant. Strengthen your vetting and monitoring of vendors. This might include requiring cybersecurity questionnaires or audits, insisting on cybersecurity clauses in contracts (e.g. requiring MFA, encryption, timely patching, cyber insurance, etc.), and tracking when vendors attest to compliance. Establish an inventory of vendors handling PHI and assign each a risk tier—then apply stricter controls or more frequent reviews for high-risk partners. Also, formulate an incident response plan that accounts for third-party incidents (e.g. what to do if your cloud EHR provider is down or if a data processor gets hacked).
- Invest in Detection and Response: Given that not every attack can be prevented, focus on capabilities to detect intrusions early and respond quickly. Consider a Security Operations Center (SOC) or managed detection & response service if you don’t have one, so that signs of ransomware or abnormal data access are caught in minutes, not months. Regularly drill your incident response plan (simulate a ransomware event, test restoring backups, practice internal and public communications). Quick response can significantly reduce the impact of an attack and is also something regulators will look at favorably should a breach occur.
- Foster a Security Culture (Especially for Hybrid Work): Technology alone isn’t enough. Educate your workforce in simple, relatable terms about the threats we’ve discussed. For example, teach clinicians and staff how to spot phishing emails and suspicious texts, stress the importance of not reusing passwords across personal and work accounts, and encourage prompt reporting of lost devices or unusual computer behavior. Build security into the organizational culture so that everyone, from the front desk to the C-suite, understands their role in protecting patient data. Leadership should set the tone by championing cybersecurity as essential to patient trust and care quality.
In summary, healthcare organizations in 2026 will face persistent and evolving cyber threats, but by understanding the trends and taking proactive steps, IT leaders can significantly mitigate the risks. Ransomware may be relentless, but a well-prepared organization with offline backups and strong network defense can avoid paying ransoms. IoT devices may be numerous, but with good network controls and vendor cooperation, they can be managed securely. Cloud and third-party breaches will happen, but those who rigorously manage vendor risk and encrypt data can escape worst-case scenarios. And while regulators are raising the bar, complying with security best practices ultimately makes your organization safer from the bad guys, not just from fines.
Healthcare has always been about saving lives and caring for patients—today, cybersecurity is integral to that mission. An IT leader’s diligence in cyber defense directly contributes to patient safety and organizational resilience. By expecting the threats of tomorrow and preparing today, healthcare organizations can continue to deliver on their vital mission safely and securely in 2026 and beyond.
