Cyberattacks on Hospitals Are Likely to Increase, Putting Lives at Risk, Experts Warn

Cyberattacks on Hospitals Are Likely to Increase, Putting Lives at Risk, Experts Warn
Lurie Children's Hospital sign is seen at the hospital as patients walk in in Skokie, Ill., on Feb. 5, 2024. Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:
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WASHINGTON—Cybersecurity experts are warning that hospitals around the country are at risk for attacks like the one that is crippling operations at a premier Midwestern children’s hospital, and that the U.S. government is doing too little prevent such breaches.

Hospitals in recent years have shifted their use of online technology to support everything from telehealth to medical devices to patient records. Today, they are a favorite target for internet thieves who hold systems’ data and networks hostage for hefty ransoms, said John Riggi, the American Hospital Association’s cybersecurity adviser.