Two-Thirds of Healthcare Organizations Hit by Ransomware – A Four-Year High, Sophos Survey Finds

Nearly 80% of Organizations Hit by Ransomware Took More than a Week to Recover

Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today released a sector survey report, “The State of Ransomware in Healthcare 2024,” which revealed that the rate of ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations has reached a four-year high since 2021.

Of those organizations surveyed, two-thirds (67%) were impacted by ransomware attacks in the past year, up from 60% in 2023. The rising rate of ransomware attacks against healthcare institutions contrasts with the declining rate of ransomware attacks across sectors; the overall rate of ransomware attacks fell from 66% in 2023 to 59% in 2024.

Healthcare Organizations

Alongside an increase in the rate of ransomware attacks, the healthcare sector reported increasingly longer recovery times. Only 22% of ransomware victims fully recovered in a week or less, a considerable drop from the 47% reported in 2023 and 54% in 2022. In addition, 37% took more than a month to recover, up from 28% in 2023, reflecting the increased severity and complexity of attacks.

More on the Sophos survey

Key findings from the healthcare sector include:  

• Healthcare’s Ransomware Attack Rates Climb: 67% of healthcare organizations were hit by ransomware in 2024, up from 60% in 2023, and nearly doubling from 2021’s 34%
• Longer Recovery Times: Only 22% of healthcare organizations fully recovered within a week, down from 47% in 2023. 37% took more than a month to recover, up from 28% in 2023.
• Ransom Recovery Costs Surge: The mean cost of recovery in a healthcare ransomware attack was $2.57 million in 2024, up from $2.2 million in 2023 and double the 2021 cost

• Ransom Demands vs Payments: 57% of healthcare institutions that paid the ransom ended up paying more than the original demand
• Root Cause of Attack: Compromised credentials and exploited vulnerabilities were tied for the number one root cause of attack, each accounting for 34% of attacks.
• Backups Targeted: 95% of healthcare organizations hit by ransomware in the past year said that cybercriminals attempted to compromise their backups during the attack.
• Increased Pressure: Organizations whose backups were compromised were more than twice as likely to pay the ransom to recover encrypted data (63% vs. 27%)
• Who Pays the Ransom: Insurance providers are heavily involved in ransom payments, contributing in 77% of cases. 19% of total ransom payment funding comes from insurance providers

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