For healthcare orgs, disaster recovery means making sure docs can save lives during ransomware infection

When IT disasters strike, it can become a matter of life and death for healthcare organizations – and criminals know it.

We’re not exaggerating the risks: In 2024 a successful ransomware attack on a Texas trauma hospital saw it turn away ambulances - and that was just one of hundreds of known ransomware infections at US hospitals.

Then there was the Change Healthcare intrusion that paralyzed claims and payment systems for weeks across hundreds of thousands of medical clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies in the US. That disaster left many Americans unable to acquire prescription medicine as usual.

"Healthcare organizations have a uniquely high-stakes environment when it comes to disaster recovery due to the sensitivity of data and the life-or-death nature of their services," said Sherrod DeGrippo, Microsoft's director of threat intelligence strategy.

"Unfortunately, threat actors know this well and take advantage of this reality," she added. "Healthcare organizations are often ...