Ascension’s Cybersecurity Incident Puts Healthcare On Alert
David Chou –
Ascension Health’s recent ransomware cyberattack is a stark reminder of the urgent and shared responsibility we all bear in the face of escalating cyber threats. The past five years have witnessed a staggering 256% increase in large breaches involving hacking and a 264% increase in ransomware incidents reported to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). As healthcare CIOs, we must urgently lead the charge in rethinking our cybersecurity strategies.
Cybersecurity breaches directly impact patient safety, as seen in incidents where healthcare organizations had to divert patients because clinicians could not access electronic systems. Errol Weiss, Chief Security Officer at Health-ISAC, agrees and said, “When hospitals get attacked by ransomware, it becomes an attack on patient care and safety. Hospitals cannot rely on the government for help. They need more investments in cyber security — including technology and the people to run those systems — to better protect the complex IT infrastructure used in today’s modern hospitals.”
Read the full article in Forbes:
- Related Resources & News
- The New Dealbreaker in Medical Device Procurement? Cybersecurity
- 2026 Americas Hobby Exercise After Action Report
- Health-ISAC® Director of European Operations Elected European Council of ISACs Chair
- CTEM 101: Moving from Spreadsheets to Continuous Risk Reduction
- Monthly Newsletter – October 2026
- OpenAI pledges $1B to provide resources, training for frontline cyber defenders
- Health-ISAC Hacking Healthcare 9-29-2026
- Healthcare Cybersecurity is Entering the Era of Collective Defense
- Healthcare’s cyberattack problem is getting worse
- Cybersecurity in the AI Era