A growing number of attacks on health sector systems appear to be driven not by profit, but by politics.
Author: Vasileios Mingos is the European Operations Director, GCTI, GREM, with over 8 years of security experience. He is based in Greece and has been with Health-ISAC since July 2023.
Since the earliest days of cybercrime, healthcare data has been a prime target. Until recently, most cyberattacks on hospitals followed a familiar pattern: ransomware groups would encrypt patient records and demand payment. The motive was clear – and it was all about the money.
But cybersecurity experts are now warning of a shift. A growing number of attacks on health sector systems appear to be driven not by profit, but by politics. These incidents, often traced back to nation state-backed groups, aim to disrupt hospital operations, steal sensitive medical data, and undermine public trust. The United Nations has called cyberattacks on healthcare “a direct and systemic risk to global public health and security.”
This evolution comes at a vulnerable time, as trust in health institutions remains fragile. Cyberattacks deepen that mistrust, strain critical infrastructure, and blur the line between criminal enterprise and geopolitical strategy. As someone working at the intersection of healthcare security and intelligence sharing, I believe this is no longer just a criminal problem – it’s a threat to national security.
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