Patients’ health information is worth a lot of money to hackers, said Geetha Thamilarasu, an associate professor of computing and software systems at the University of Washington, Bothell. Once someone gets hold of a stolen medical record, they can buy fake prescriptions, file bogus insurance claims, participate in identity theft and sell it online, among other things, she said.
“There is a huge underground market on the dark web,” said Thamilarasu, who specializes in health care security. “Research shows that if a compromised credit card sells for about $1 to $5 each, a compromised medical record can sell anywhere from $400 to $500 — sometimes even $1,000.”
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“There is a huge underground market on the dark web,” said Thamilarasu, who specializes in health care security. “Research shows that if a compromised credit card sells for about $1 to $5 each, a compromised medical record can sell anywhere from $400 to $500 — sometimes even $1,000.”
Why health care has become a top target for cybercriminals
Cyberattacks of all sorts have plagued large corporations, small businesses and individuals for decades now, but in the past several years, health care has become a top target.
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