Healthcare ramps up cyber defences as threats & costs rise
Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly vital for healthcare providers as the sector experiences continuing digital transformation. Threats from cyberattacks now impact hospitals, clinics, aged-care facilities, and medical software providers, placing both patient data and essential care systems at risk.
Rising threats
Healthcare organisations face a range of cyber risks. Patient records have a high black-market value, making them lucrative targets for cybercriminals. Attacks such as ransomware, phishing schemes focused on staff, insider threats, vulnerabilities in outdated medical devices, and breaches at third-party suppliers all pose significant risks to clinical operations.
System outages and delays to patient care caused by cyber incidents continue to highlight the critical need for robust and ongoing security measures in the medical sector.
MSSP capabilities
Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) provide 24/7 monitoring, detection, and incident response tailored to healthcare environments. This includes real-time oversight of networks, medical devices, endpoints, and cloud systems through dedicated Security Operations Centres (SOC).
Benefits to healthcare organisations include the immediate detection of suspicious activity, containment of potential threats, reduction in ransomware outbreaks, and expert assessment of abnormal behaviour across a variety of platforms from EMRs to connected hospital equipment.
Regulatory compliance
Healthcare organisations are required to comply with extensive security and privacy frameworks such as the Australian Privacy Principles, ISO 27001, and the My Health Records Act. MSSPs assist by supporting policy development, risk assessments, continual security audits, and by gathering compliance evidence for certification bodies.
This specialised support gives medical providers assurance that they remain audit-ready and committed to privacy.
Device protection
Modern hospitals and clinics rely on interconnected medical devices, many of which cannot be easily updated or patched. MSSPs provide visibility across these devices, enabling asset discovery, network segmentation, and monitoring for abnormal device activity. This approach helps secure vital medical equipment from exploitation and ensures ongoing operational availability.
Incident response
Prompt action is crucial during a cyber incident in healthcare, as service continuity is paramount. MSSPs deliver rapid threat triage, forensic investigations, root cause analysis, and swift remediation, working to prevent future attacks and reduce clinical downtime.
Securing telehealth
The adoption of telehealth, remote consultations, and cloud-based health systems has expanded the attack surface for medical organisations. MSSPs strengthen defences through secure access controls, multi-factor authentication, endpoint security for remote staff, and monitoring of cloud configurations and health platforms.
This protects patient data wherever it is transmitted or accessed, supporting the confidentiality and integrity of digital health services.
Cost considerations
For many healthcare organisations, assembling an in-house team of cybersecurity experts is prohibitively expensive. MSSPs offer a more cost-effective solution, giving access to specialists and enterprise-grade tools while controlling operational expenditure.
Additional benefits include faster implementation of new security technologies and reduced demands on internal IT teams.
Sector outlook
Ongoing digitisation in healthcare is expected to increase the need for comprehensive cybersecurity provision. HIMSS' 2023 Cybersecurity Survey reported that over 70% of health sector respondents had experienced a significant security incident in the past year, underlining the extent of the challenge.
"For hospitals, clinics, aged-care providers, and medical SaaS platforms, partnering with an MSSP is no longer optional-it is essential for safeguarding modern healthcare operations," said Himali Dhande, Cybersecurity Operations Lead, BorderlessCS.