Hackers ❤️ Hospitals: Why health data is the ultimate prize

Hackers love Europe’s hospitals. In June 2024, a ransomware attack on a pathology provider forced two London hospitals to postpone 10,000+ outpatient appointments and 1,500+ elective procedures, causing two cases of severe harm, five of moderate harm and one death. A year later, hackers stole cancer screening records from nearly 500,000 Dutch women. In 2023, EU countries reported 309 major cyber incidents in healthcare, more than any other critical sector. Health data is irresistible to hackers: outdated systems, thinly stretched security, and high-value targets. Europe’s hospitals are becoming the frontline of cyber warfare. The stakes are no longer just operational. They are clinical, reputational, and financial. Put more starkly, they are a matter of life and death. How can healthcare leaders build real cyber resilience before the next attack puts patients at risk?