Cyber ​​Security: Italian healthcare companies are at high risk of attacks

The case of the Lazio Region may not be the only one. According to a study conducted by Swascan, cyber security would be a major limitation for Italian healthcare companies.

Italian healthcare companies have serious cybersecurity problems

Italian healthcare companies may not be protected enough. This is communicated by a study conducted by analysts of Swascan, Cyber ​​Security Company. The data shows an alarming percentage: 60% of healthcare companies surveyed are at risk of sensitive data theft.

The study, conducted in August, looked at twenty public and private health facilities. Specifically, the top hundred in terms of turnover, reputation and size were chosen. The data that emerged does not bode well, given the cyber attacks on the Lazio Region just a few months ago.

In total the vulnerabilities found would be 942, which out of a total of 20 companies is a surprisingly high number. Thanks to the data confirmed by ANSA, we know that only 4 health companies (20%) were found to be safe. Another 4 (20%) show between 1 and 25 vulnerabilities and 7 (35%) between 26 and 50. Finally, 5 (25%) of the companies taken in the sample show between 50 and 100 potential vulnerabilities.

A further criticality is given by the exposure of the services. The study shows that out of a total of 239 IP addresses there would be 579 ports exposed. These include mainly unencrypted mail services and web protocols. It would therefore take very little for cybercriminals to compromise an entire system or steal sensitive data. Data that, as the experts explain, have a considerable value.

“A particularly attractive market for crime where a stolen medical record can be worth up to a thousand dollars,” Swascan analysts explain. The critical evidence shows that healthcare companies are easy prey for ransomware attacks “