In just a short amount of time, ransomware has grown from fringe cyber attacks to a widespread epidemic across all industries, hitting healthcare by far the hardest. With the success of several high-profile attacks on hospitals, criminals are increasingly targeting healthcare providers.
In just Q1 of 2016, researchers at Symantec saw an average of 4,000 ransomware attacks per day. The loss of access to patient records alone can result in suspension of critical services and a complete halt in communication.
