Healthcare breaches down following 2016 peak

Healthcare data breaches hit an all-time high in 2016 resulting in the records of almost 16.6 million Americans being exposed as a result of hacks, lost or stolen devices, and unauthorized disclosure.

But the latest Healthcare Breach Report from data protection company Bitglass shows a sharp decline in breaches over the first quarter of 2017.

Key findings of the report are that 328 US healthcare firms reported data breaches in 2016, up from 268 in 2015. However, the volume of leaked records fell in 2016, and is on track to fall further in 2017.

Unauthorized disclosures are now the leading cause of breaches, accounting for almost 40 percent in 2016. Hacking and IT incidents continue to pose the greatest risk -- the volume of records that leak because of hacking is greater than all other breach events combined.

All five of the largest breaches in 2016 were the result of hacking and IT incidents. To put that in perspective, 80 percent of leaked records in 2016 were the result of hacking. So far in 2017, the largest breach has been the result of theft, with the four next largest breaches due to hacking.

"Breaches and information leaks are unavoidable in every industry, but healthcare remains one of the biggest targets," says Nat Kausik, CEO of Bitglass. "While threats to sensitive healthcare data will persist, increased investments in data-centric security and stronger compliance and disclosure mandates are driving down the impact of each breach event."

You can find out more in the full report which is available on the Bitglass website.

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