Navigating Cyber Threats in Healthcare: Key Insights from Cyware's Webinar

From ransomware attacks targeting patient data to vulnerabilities in medical devices, cyber threats in healthcare seem to be evolving at a rapid pace. Healthcare organizations are under constant pressure to protect sensitive information and ensure continuity of care. 

Cyware’s recent healthcare-focused webinar, Navigating Cyber Threats in Healthcare, highlighted the unique challenges of scaling cyber threat intelligence (CTI) and how to effectively measure its impact within an organization. Below, we share some key takeaways from the session.

Learn how Cyware’s Healthcare Threat Intelligence Platform (HC-TIP) enables healthcare security teams with industry-specific threat feeds and automated response capabilities.

The Evolving Landscape of Healthcare Cyber Threat Intelligence

Cyber threat intelligence plays a crucial role in protecting healthcare organizations from evolving cyber threats. However, as discussed in the webinar, organizations often struggle with critical challenges such as data ingestion, threat analysis, and the efficient sharing of intelligence.

One major difficulty highlighted was the sheer volume of data healthcare organizations must process. With thousands of indicators flowing from various sources like Health-ISAC, CISA, and other intelligence communities, healthcare CTI teams often face challenges in filtering out false positives and ensuring that intelligence is actionable. As a result, it's not just about collecting indicators, but also about providing context and understanding how to act on them.

A prime example shared during the webinar was the case of Bomgar, a remote management tool. For some organizations, blocking Bomgar makes sense given that threat actors frequently exploit it. However, in other contexts, such as healthcare IT, this tool is legitimate, meaning blocking it could disrupt vital operations. This example underscores the importance of contextualizing intelligence data—without this understanding, security teams might inadvertently block tools critical to business operations.

Scaling Cyber Threat Intelligence in Healthcare

As the webinar host discussed, CTI teams in healthcare organizations face a “double-edged sword.” On one hand, there is an increased recognition of the value of CTI, with more organizations establishing dedicated CTI teams. In fact, recent industry reports show that around 70-80% of organizations now have dedicated CTI teams, compared to just 40% a few years ago. This growth is largely driven by the increasing pressure from cyber threats. On the other hand, this growth also means more data, more stakeholders, and consequently, more work with often limited resources.

The challenge, therefore, is not just about gathering more data, but also about effectively managing it to drive actionable insights. While the explosion of CTI teams has brought positive attention, the sheer scale of work required to manage the growing volume of data has placed immense strain on already resource-constrained teams.

Moreover, healthcare organizations need to understand the strategic impact of cyber threats. Historically, CTI efforts focused on the technical side—blocking threats, preventing breaches, and identifying malicious activity. Today, however, organizations are asking how cyber threat intelligence can inform risk-based decision-making and protect business operations. Healthcare organizations are now using CTI to support functions like third-party risk management, vulnerability management, and even mergers and acquisitions.

Making Cyber Threat Intelligence Work for the Business

One of the most powerful points raised in the webinar was the need to align CTI with business objectives. By framing CTI metrics within the context of the business’s goals—such as reducing risk or ensuring patient safety—organizations can show the true value of their CTI programs. For instance, if CTI helps a vulnerability management team prioritize patching critical systems faster, this should be measured and communicated to the business side to show how CTI supports operational objectives.

As organizations grow more reliant on cyber threat intelligence, the ability to demonstrate its value becomes paramount. Unfortunately, many CTI teams still struggle to communicate their impact effectively. Metrics like “number of indicators blocked” or “false positives reduced” often don’t resonate with non-technical stakeholders. Instead, focusing on metrics that show how CTI mitigates business risks—such as reducing downtime in critical healthcare services or protecting sensitive patient data—can make a much stronger case.

Overcoming Healthcare-Specific Challenges

Healthcare organizations face additional hurdles when it comes to CTI. Legacy systems, outdated medical devices, and the increasing number of IoT devices all contribute to a constantly shifting risk landscape. Furthermore, healthcare organizations are often under significant budget constraints, with lean teams tasked with managing an ever-expanding array of threats and vulnerabilities. The key to overcoming these challenges is automation. By automating data collection and threat intelligence processes, healthcare organizations can better prioritize threats and take action faster.

Another unique challenge discussed in the webinar is third-party risk management. Healthcare organizations are highly interconnected with external vendors, service providers, and partners. This interconnectedness creates vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit. A single breach in a partner’s system can have far-reaching consequences for a healthcare provider’s operations. As a result, CTI teams must not only focus on internal security but also monitor the broader ecosystem for potential threats.

Building Effective Cyber Threat Intelligence Metrics

The final takeaway from the webinar was the importance of developing meaningful metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of CTI. It’s not enough to simply track how many threats were blocked or how many phishing attempts were detected. To truly demonstrate the value of CTI, teams must tie their metrics to business outcomes. For example, metrics should show how quickly a team can respond to a security incident and how those responses mitigate risks to patient care or business continuity.

One of the most insightful suggestions was to develop intelligence requirements that directly align with business needs. For instance, vulnerability management teams may need intelligence to help them decide whether to expedite patching or delay it based on the severity of a threat. By tracking the actions taken as a result of intelligence, CTI teams can provide data that clearly shows the impact on the organization’s risk posture.

Conclusion: Advancing Healthcare Cybersecurity with CTI

The Navigating Cyber Threats in Healthcare webinar provided valuable insights into how healthcare organizations can effectively scale and communicate the impact of their cyber threat intelligence efforts. By aligning CTI with business goals, focusing on meaningful metrics, and addressing healthcare-specific challenges, organizations can better protect patient data, improve decision-making, and reduce overall risk.

As the healthcare sector continues to face sophisticated cyber threats, the need for robust, context-driven threat intelligence has never been greater. By leveraging advanced threat intelligence platforms, automating processes, and aligning with business objectives, healthcare organizations can build stronger defenses and respond to threats more effectively. The work done by Cyware in collaboration with healthcare CTI professionals promises to make a meaningful difference in shaping the future of cybersecurity in healthcare.