82% of healthcare organizations have experienced an IoT-focused cyberattack, survey finds

Eight out of 10 healthcare organizations have experienced an internet of things-focused cyberattack in the past year. Of the organizations hit by an attack, 30% said the security incident compromised end-user safety, according to a survey by security software company Irdeto.

There are 10 million to 15 million medical devices in U.S. hospitals today with an average of 10 to 15 connected medical devices per patient bed, according to research from security company Zingbox. The integration of internet-connected medical devices across healthcare, which is expected to rapidly increase, poses significant cybersecurity risks.

Irdeto surveyed 700 security decision-makers across the healthcare, transportation and manufacturing industries as well as IoT device manufacturers about cyberattacks targeting their organization and security measures currently in place. The research surveyed both manufacturers and users of IoT devices in five countries—China, Germany, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. Around 230 of the survey respondents were security leaders in healthcare.

Healthcare security leaders ranked compromised customer data as their top concern as a result of a cyberattack (39%), followed by patient safety (20%) and stolen intellectual property (12%). Security executives also are concerned about brand or reputational damage and operational downtime.