The 630+ Healthcare Ransomware Attacks in 2023

Healthcare systems faced over 630 ransomware attacks in 2023, an alarming number that shut down patient records, lab results, and even life-saving devices. Clinics found themselves scrambled to chart by hand while IT teams worked around the clock to restore basic functions. Every data breach meant test delays, postponed surgeries, and medical staff stretched beyond their limits. When digital tools fail, doctors and nurses race against the clock with pen and paper, trying to keep patient care on track.

The 81% Spike in Cardiac Arrests at Nearby Hospitals

Hospitals hit by ransomware force ambulances to reroute, which can double or triple travel times to alternate emergency rooms. As a result:

• Ambulances arrive later with patients in critical condition, making early treatment harder.
  
  
• Overcrowded emergency departments slow down triage, so heart attack victims wait longer for help.
  
  
• Paramedics cannot share vital signs or EKG readings ahead, forcing ER teams to start from scratch on arrival.
  

That 81% rise in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests at neighboring hospitals shows how one breach can ripple across an entire region.

Ascension’s Record Breach and $1.3 Billion Impact

In May 2024, Ascension, one of the largest health systems in America, discovered that the Black Basta gang had exposed 5.6 million patient records. Recovering from that attack cost roughly $1.3 billion in lost revenue, extra staffing, and IT rebuilds. Beyond dollars, the breach triggered a wave of manual processes: cancer patients waited for lab results, surgeons lost access to key scans, and ambulances were forced to skip Ascension hospitals until systems came back online. The financial hit was staggering, but the real cost lay in how quickly patient care ground to a halt.

Synnovis Pathology Disruption and Its Human Cost

On June 3, 2024, the Qilin ransomware gang hit Synnovis, a lab provider for several London NHS trusts. Services stalled for months, and regulators confirmed at least one patient death tied to delayed test results. General practitioners saw their referral lists vanish overnight, leaving thousands without vital lab work. Surgeons postponed life-saving operations, and emergency departments struggled to manage without timely blood tests. A laboratory lockdown can feel miles away from the bedside, yet its impact reaches every ward and clinic.

Why Legacy Systems, Weak Protocols, and RaaS Kits Create a Perfect Storm

Hospitals often rely on decades-old software alongside newer medical devices, leaving many weak spots open for attackers. On the dark web, Ransomware-as-a-Service packages rent for as little as $200 per month, making it easy for anyone to launch a cyber-attack. Three key issues make healthcare an easy target:

• Unpatched firmware in infusion pumps, imaging machines, and EHR modules.
  
  
• Flat networks without strong segmentation allow attackers to jump from admin workstations to critical devices.
  
  
• Siloed incident response plans in each department, creating confusion when minutes count.
  

With so many entry points and no unified defense, cybercriminals see hospitals as low-effort, high-reward targets.

AI-Powered Defense: Spotting Threats Before They Strike

Traditional security tools often miss the slow build-up of a ransomware attack. New AI solutions, like Prompt Sapper, watch device activity—pump status, imaging logs, electronic health record access—and flag odd patterns up to three days before a critical failure. In one case from early 2025, an AI alert in a Midwest hospital’s intensive care unit caught abnormal pump signals. The security team isolated a single infected workstation, avoided system shutdowns, and kept patient care running smoothly. Pairing these AI alerts with regular MITRE ATT&CK exercises helps teams fix weak spots before attackers arrive.

OCR’s 2025 HIPAA Enforcement and NIST SP 800-61r3 Updates

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights has stepped up its HIPAA enforcement in 2025, issuing fines and mandating corrective action plans after ransomware events that violated patients’ privacy rights. Covered entities now face steeper penalties for skipping thorough risk analyses and missing breach notification deadlines.

Meanwhile, NIST revised its Incident Response guide in April 2025 to make response planning an integral part of cybersecurity. The update ties incident handling directly into the broader NIST Cybersecurity Framework clarifies roles for executives, IT, and clinical staff, and demands lessons-learned reports feed back into tabletop drills. For hospitals, that means gathering doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and security experts in the same room to run realistic simulations—not just once a year, but as part of continuous improvement.

Simple Steps to Lock Down Your Hospital

• Automate patching for every server, endpoint, and medical device firmware to close known vulnerabilities.
  
  
• Segment networks so that electronic health records, lab systems, and medical devices live in separate zones.
  
  
• Store encrypted backups off-site and run quarterly restore tests to be sure you can recover quickly.
  
  
• Conduct phishing drills with all staff at least twice a year to sharpen awareness and response.
  
  
• Run MITRE ATT&CK purple-team exercises to uncover hidden gaps before attackers do.
  

Each of these steps may seem small, but together they build a strong foundation that cybercriminals find far too difficult to breach.

Your Partner in Patient Safety and Cybersecurity

Every cyber-attack in healthcare carries a real risk of delayed care, diverted ambulances, and, in the worst cases, loss of life. You do not have to face these threats alone. Trust iRM’s team of certified healthcare security strategists to design a custom incident response framework that keeps your systems up and running when it matters most.

Reach out to iRM through our creative, quick-connect form on the Contact Us page and let us help you turn patient safety into your strongest defense.