--- title: "Now We Know Why the Healthcare Industry is so Vulnerable to Ransomware | DuoCircle" description: "If you’ve been paying any attention, you’ve seen that the healthcare industry is under a constant threat from phishing attacks that lead to ransomware." image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/blog/phishing-protection/now-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware/" --- Quick Answer Healthcare gets hit with ransomware repeatedly because cyber defense isn't a budget priority. A Help Net Security analysis from a healthcare security practitioner notes that executives focus on revenue, physician retention, and cost cuts, leaving basics like two-factor authentication on email and remote access unimplemented. As a result, threat actors often sit inside healthcare networks for months or years before triggering encryption, and some delete backups before encrypting production data so the organization has no recovery path other than paying. The fix the post points to is straightforward: cloud-delivered phishing protection costs pennies per user per month and deploys in around 10 minutes, so the cost-vs-impact case for adopting it is one-sided. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Now%20We%20Know%20Why%20the%20Healthcare%20Industry%20is%20so%20Vulnerable%20to%20Ransomware&url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F&title=Now%20We%20Know%20Why%20the%20Healthcare%20Industry%20is%20so%20Vulnerable%20to%20Ransomware "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Now%20We%20Know%20Why%20the%20Healthcare%20Industry%20is%20so%20Vulnerable%20to%20Ransomware&body=Check out this article: undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F "Share via Email") ![Vulnerable to Ransomware](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/03/spf-permerror-7368.jpg) If you’ve been paying any attention, you’ve seen that _the healthcare industry is under a constant threat from phishing attacks that lead to ransomware_. Every [week](/announcements/cyber-security-news-update-week-11-of-2020/#more-18619) it seems there’s another healthcare organization hit with a **data breach or ransomware.** The question is, why? And now we know the answer. The short answer is, _healthcare organizations are an easy target for hackers because their cyber defenses stink_. So, the real question is, why do healthcare organizations cyber defenses stink? The short answer here is, it’s just **not a priority** for them. And apparently, the hackers know it. From a new [article](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2020/03/17/ransomware-healthcare/) on Help Net Security, written by a cyber pro in the healthcare industry, “_Driving revenue, keeping physicians happy and in place while cutting costs top the list of goals for most executives_, so it shouldn’t be surprising that little attention is paid to, for example, implementing [two-factor authentication](/phishing-protection/8-ways-you-can-protect-your-company-from-phishing-attacks-starting-now/) for critical, externally facing systems such as e-mail and remote access to the network.” _As long as doctors don’t quit and the company is profitable_, that’s good enough. [![ two-factor authentication](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/03/spf-permerror-7369.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/03/spf-permerror-7369.jpg) _This indifference has led to extreme vulnerability in these companies_. “In many cases, it has been determined that threat actors were inside a healthcare organization’s network for months or even years before setting their **malicious code** loose. To help ensure payment is made, _some threat actors will delete backup data and encrypt the remaining data_, thus making it almost impossible for the organization to recover from the situation on their own. At that point, the business is kneecapped and they are at the **attackers’ mercy.**” The sad thing is, in most cases, _these companies could protect themselves for just pennies per month per employee_. In other words, with very little impact on profitability. And the time it would take to protect all those employees? How about 10 minutes. [![Phishing Protection](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/03/spf-permerror-7370.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/03/spf-permerror-7370.jpg) There is simply no excuse for these healthcare organizations to stay exposed like this when the cost of insurance is so inexpensive and the effort to deploy so minimal. Companies like DuoCircle with their [Phishing Protection](/email/phishing-protection) product are perfectly situated to help them, but they have to pick up the phone (or click on the link). It’s time for healthcare companies to get **serious about cybersecurity** in general and **phishing protection** in particular in an effort to protect their patients and avoid the nightmare of ransomware. Hey healthcare companies, [contact us](/). We can help you. ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) Brad Slavin General Manager General Manager at DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across the email security portfolio. ## Secure your email infrastructure Protect, authenticate, and deliver. Contact our team to find the right solution. [Contact Sales](/contact/) [Explore Products](/products/) Share this article [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F) [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Now%20We%20Know%20Why%20the%20Healthcare%20Industry%20is%20so%20Vulnerable%20to%20Ransomware&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fnow-we-know-why-the-healthcare-industry-is-so-vulnerable-to-ransomware%2F) Copy Related Articles - [ ![AI-Generated Phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2026/04/spf-record-4522.jpg) AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Phishing ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/) - [ ![spf-permerror-4555](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2023/05/spf-permerror-4555.jpg) 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/) - [ ![Email-Based Cyber-Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2016/03/spf-record-tester-4455.jpg) 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/) - [ ![Email-based Ransomware Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/02/email-smtp-service-7834.jpg) 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ## Related Articles [ Phishing 11m AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Apr 28, 2026 ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/)[ Phishing 5m 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting May 3, 2023 ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/)[ Phishing 4m 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Mar 29, 2016 ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/)[ Phishing 9m 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Feb 11, 2018 ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. 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