Healthcare faces surge in cyberattacks & AI-driven threats

A new report by LevelBlue highlights increasing cybersecurity risks faced by healthcare organisations, including a significant rise in breaches and a lack of preparedness for AI-driven threats.

The 2025 Spotlight Report: Cyber Resilience and Business Impact in Healthcare surveyed healthcare executives globally to assess how the industry is responding to ongoing and evolving cyber threats.

According to the findings, 32% of healthcare executives stated that their organisation had suffered a security breach in the past 12 months. In addition, nearly half (46%) of respondents reported experiencing a significantly higher volume of cyberattacks compared to previous years.

The report addressed emerging concerns over artificial intelligence, as only 29% of healthcare executives said they felt prepared for AI-powered cyber threats. Despite this, 41% believed their organisations would be targeted by such threats in the foreseeable future.

Visibility into the software supply chain remains another weakness for many organisations. The survey found that 54% of healthcare executives said they have very low to moderate visibility into their software supply chain. Only 21% indicated that they are making significant investments in software supply chain security.

LevelBlue's research also details shifts in the way healthcare organisations approach cybersecurity, underscoring a move towards integrating resilience measures across business operations. The report found that 61% of healthcare organisations now align their cybersecurity teams with lines of business, indicating that safeguarding digital assets is increasingly viewed as a shared departmental responsibility.

There is also growing reliance on external expertise to respond to cyber threats. The report indicated that 44% of healthcare organisations expect to enlist managed security service providers over the next two years, compared to just 30% that have used such services in the past year.

Budget allocations reflect this trend as well. The report showed that 59% of leadership roles are now measured against cybersecurity KPIs, and 43% of executives said they allocate cybersecurity budgets at the outset of new initiatives. This approach is designed to embed security considerations into the early stages of business innovation and development.

Theresa Lanowitz, Chief Evangelist of LevelBlue, commented on the findings: "With the rising risk of AI-powered cyberattacks and vulnerabilities in the software supply chain, achieving cyber resilience in healthcare is more critical than ever. Our research shows that healthcare organisations are no longer viewing cybersecurity as just an IT issue; it's now a business priority. Still, there is work to be done to properly prepare and protect themselves."

The report identified specific areas where healthcare organisations are focusing their investments to combat new and emerging threats. According to the surveyed executives, the greatest investment is being made in generative AI for social engineering attack detection (28%), followed by cyber-resilience processes across the business (26%), application security (25%), machine learning for pattern matching (24%), and Zero Trust Architecture (15%).

LevelBlue's findings included recommendations for organisations aiming to strengthen their cyber resilience. These steps are to push cyber resilience up the organisational hierarchy, embed cybersecurity responsibilities throughout all teams, adopt a proactive - rather than reactive - approach to threats, and give particular priority to resilience in the software supply chain.

The research for the Spotlight Report was conducted through a quantitative survey by FT Longitude in January 2025, involving 1,500 C-suite and senior executives across 14 countries and seven industries. The healthcare industry sample included 220 executives.