Events , Fraud Management & Cybercrime , Geo Focus: Asia

When Threats Double - Healthcare's Cyber Wake-Up Call

The healthcare sector's cybersecurity crisis has reached a critical point, with ransomware attacks doubling from 34% of healthcare organizations being impacted in 2021 to 67% in 2024 according to Sophos' State of Ransomware in Healthcare 2024 report. The sector now ranks among the top three most targeted industries alongside government and critical infrastructure.

See Also: Corelight's Brian Dye on NDR's Role in Defeating Ransomware

Even more concerning is the recovery timeline, with 37% of affected healthcare organizations requiring up to a month to restore operations. "That's costly, operationally inefficient, and could potentially be detrimental to patients ... in some situations, a life and death situation," said Philip Dimitriu, senior director of sales engineering at Sophos.

The challenge extends beyond healthcare, as organizations struggle with expanding attack surfaces and a global shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. "The external attack surface continues to expand, and the biggest challenge is keeping up," particularly in hybrid work environments where home networks create new vulnerabilities, Dimitriu said.

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at the GovWare Conference and Exhibition 2024, Dimitriu also discussed:

• Why industry-specific MDR solutions are crucial for targeted threat response.
• How the shift to hybrid work has created new security blind spots;
• Why patch management remains a top compromise vector even after 25 years;

At Sophos, Dimitriu is responsible for overseeing the technical sales team and ensuring that clients receive comprehensive support and guidance regarding Sophos’ security solutions. Prior to Sophos, he held several positions in sales and technical roles across different organizations, honing his skills in solution selling and customer engagement. With extensive experience in sales engineering, he has developed a strong expertise in cybersecurity technologies and strategies.