Anna Forrester
KPMGÂ has found that 81 percent of healthcare organizations that were part of its recent cybersecurity survey have been compromised by at least one cyber attack in the past two years.
The company said Aug. 26 50 percent of the 223 respondents for its 2015 KPMG Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey also believe their organizations are adequately equipped to prevent attacks.
“The vulnerability of patient data at the nation’s health plans and approximately 5,000 hospitals is on the rise, and healthcare executives are struggling to safeguard patient records,” said Michael Ebert, head of the healthcare and life sciences cyber practice at KPMG.
The survey of 223 executives at providers and health plans also revealed that 16 percent do not have tools to detect cyber attacks in real time.
KPMG noted that malware and botnets are the most frequently encountered types of threat, which usually originate from external attackers or through data exchanges with third 
parties.
Other vulnerabilities at organizations include employee breaches, wireless computing and firewalls.
