Will 2015 be the 'year of the healthcare hack' wonder security pros

Following the massive breach suffered by Anthem, cybersecurity experts wonder if 2015 will be the year of the healthcare hack.

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The recent breach of Anthem was a brutal wakeup call that cybercriminals want personal records, and healthcare data is near the top of their list. UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and other groups have issued cybercrime-related warnings since 2011, but it didn't seem like a major concern among members until recently.

Will 2015 be the 'year of the healthcare hack' wonder security pros | TweakTown.com

"A name, address, social and a medical identity... that's incredibly easy to monetize fairly quickly," said Bob Gregg, CEO of ID Experts, in a statement published by Reuters. Cybersecurity experts have warned that health-related data tends to be extremely lucrative on the black market.

Organized groups will try to target healthcare providers in an effort to compromise insurance companies, hospitals, doctor's offices, and medical equipment makers - with companies urged to improve their cybersecurity protocols.

Stolen health data and related personal information can be worth more than $20 per record, and cybersecurity experts believe these risks will only get worse.

An experienced tech journalist and marketing specialist, Michael joins TweakTown to cover everything from cars & electric vehicles to solar and green energy topics. A former Staff Writer at DailyTech, Michael is now the Cars & Electric Vehicles News Reporter and will contribute news stories on a daily basis. In addition to contributing here, Michael also runs his own tech blog, AlamedaTech.com, while he looks to remain busy in the tech world.

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