Medical information is as valuable as it is sensitive. Hospitals and health centers, traditionally focused on caring for people’s physical and emotional health, today face a new challenge: protecting their patients’ sensitive data.
Every medical record, diagnostic report, and treatment stored in a digital system represents critical information. Its exposure, theft, or alteration compromises privacy and can endanger human lives. Therefore, cybersecurity in hospitals has become a strategic priority.
The risk is real: why are hospitals targeted?
If you’ve ever wondered why someone would attack a hospital, the answer is more straightforward: medical data is worth a lot on the black market.. In addition, health centers often have complex, usually outdated computer systems, which makes them relatively easy targets for cybercriminals.
According to data from SonicWall’s Global Threats Report (2025), the health sector was among the most attacked during the year. 95% of ransomware was used in attacks on the industry, and more than 198 million patients were affected in 2024 alone in the United States.
Spain is no stranger to this reality: public and private hospitals have suffered leaks, data hijackings, and service outages that have directly affected healthcare.
These cybersecurity attacks in hospitals not only involve economic and reputational losses.. On many occasions, they force us to delay operations, refer patients, or go back to using paper, with all the complications that this entails.
What does it mean to protect a hospital?
In the current context, cybersecurity can no longer be understood as a set of isolated measures implemented once and forgotten. Attacks evolve, techniques change, and exposure to threats is constant.
For this reason, more and more healthcare organizations are adopting models such as CTEM (Continuous Threat Exposure Management), or in Spanish, Continuous Threat Exposure Management. This strategy is based on actively and permanently monitoring all possible attack vectors: from network configurations to exposed credentials or known vulnerabilities.
This is where Kartos,our specialized cyber-surveillance solution for organizations, comes into play. Kartos allows hospitals and health centers to have a clear and up-to-date view of their exposure to cyber threats, analyzing their digital footprint in real time and alerting them of any possible risk before it is too late.
The importance of continuous surveillance in the hospital environment
A hospital environment is much more than doctors, nurses, and patients. There are dozens of connected devices, from monitors to respirators, internal management systems, databases, emails, and mobile applications. Each of these elements can be a gateway if not adequately protected.
The continuous monitoring offered by Kartos acts as an early warning system. It identifies vulnerabilities and tracks information leaks,leaked passwords, possible domain impersonations, or suspicious network activities. It does so without installation since it works outside, analyzing the healthcare organization’s public exposure.
This proactive approach does not replace other layers of defense (such as antivirus, firewalls, or access policies). Still, it complements them, providing a fundamental angle: Know how attackers see you and act accordingly.
Thanks to this type of surveillance, Hospitals can make informed decisions in advance, instead of just reacting when it’s too late.
And what about regulatory compliance?
In addition to protecting sensitive data, Cybersecurity in hospitals is also a legal issue.. Regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the NIS2 Directive require healthcare organizations to implement protection measures and demonstrate that they have taken appropriate actions to prevent security breaches.
Solutions like Kartos are especially useful here. They allow hospitals to continuously record threat exposure and implement corrective actions, which enhances security and facilitates audits, inspections, and certification processes.
Cybersecurity in hospitals: defense against attacks, but also prevention
A good defense is not only based on building walls, but also on knowing where attackers can enter. In a healthcare environment, where people’s lives are at stake, prevention is as important as the response.
Adopting efficient solutions allows hospitals to act before a crisis occurs.. The best thing is that they do not require complex integrations or changing how IT teams work since the tool operates from the outside, with total autonomy.
Enthec, a company specialized in cyber surveillance, offers technology and strategic support to anticipate risks and maintain constant vigilance.
The human and technological challenge
Awareness of healthcare personnel is also key.. Many security breaches begin with clicking on a malicious link or using a weak password. Therefore, cybersecurity solutions must be part of the hospital culture, as hygiene or patient care are.
Kartos helps in that process by offering precise and actionable reports that allow training internal teams, prioritizing efforts, and establishing more effective security policies.
Hospitals are places of care; we cannot allow digital threats to compromise operations. Cybersecurity in hospitals is neither a luxury nor a fashion but an urgent need that must be addressed with modern tools, strategic vision, and constant commitment.
Kartos provides real-time vision that allows hospitals to anticipate problems and keep patient data where it should be: safe, secure, and available only to those who need it.
Do you want to know how to better protect your hospital against digital threats? Find out more about our Kartos solution.