EU unveils plan to protect hospitals from rising cyberattacks

Brussels, Belgium: The European Union announced urgent new measures on Wednesday to tackle the growing threat posed to hospitals and the broader healt...

Brussels, Belgium: The European Union announced urgent new measures on Wednesday to tackle the growing threat posed to hospitals and the broader healthcare sector by a surge in cyberattacks.

Such attacks include data breaches or ransomware -- a form of digital blackmail in which hackers encrypt data or block services, demanding users pay to regain access.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in November warned such ransomware attacks on hospitals "can be issues of life and death" as WHO and some 50 countries raised concerns at the United Nations about the rising threat.

There were 309 "significant cybersecurity incidents" affecting the EU's healthcare sector in 2023, the European Commission said, more than any other critical industry in the bloc.

The EU warned hospitals and healthcare providers were "particularly vulnerable" to such threats, which can disrupt treatment and risk patients' data safety.