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.
"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.