Exploitation of hospitals by cyber criminals should not come as a surprise, particularly as threat actors have demonstrated a penchant for monetizing information of all kinds. Indeed, as of 2013, according to one news report, cyber criminals were observed increasingly targeting the $3 trillion U.S. healthcare industry.
Medical data is often seen as more profitable than standard personal identifiable information as it includes such data as policy numbers, diagnosis codes, and billing information, in addition to patient names, addresses, and Social Security numbers.
