Healthcare ranks among top 10 in client data leaks

India recorded the most data breaches in Asia Pacific.

A recent study revealed the healthcare industry ranked among the top 10 sectors prone to data breaches of clients’ information, with India recording the most incidents in Asia Pacific.

About 290 healthcare organisations across the world reported leaks in consumer data such as e-mail addresses, passwords and usernames from July 2019 to July 2023, according to a new research by password manager NordPass. This places the sector with the eight highest number of data leak cases in the past four years, just behind the public sector and customer services.

Within the healthcare industry, India ranked second with 34 firms whose clients' data were once compromised, trailing behind US companies that accounted for nearly a third of all the incidents in the sector.

The study also found hackers target mostly private companies, which make up for more than half of the affected entities in the medical space. Smaller companies with no more than 50 employees also seemed to suffer more from data breaches than their bigger counterparts.

“In a constantly challenged cyber environment, businesses no longer have the luxury to store consumer data in plain text on Excel or otherwise neglect basic cybersecurity practices. To avoid financial and reputational risks, companies should consider it their personal duty to ensure clients’ data is secured against online threats, even if the legislation is not there yet,” said Tomas Smalakys, CTO of NordPass.