Proofpoint-Ponemon 2026 report: 97% of US healthcare orgs hit by cyberattacks, 74% report patient care disruption
Proofpoint and the Ponemon Institute released their fifth annual Cyber Insecurity in Healthcare report, based on a survey of 705 IT and security practitioners at U.S. healthcare organizations. 97% of respondents experienced at least one cyberattack in the past 12 months, and 74% of those reported disruption to patient care. The average number of attacks rose to 51 (from 43 in 2025), and the average cost of the most expensive attack rose to $4.2 million (from $3.9 million). Supply chain attacks had the greatest impact on patient care, with 90% of affected organizations reporting disruption. The report also highlights that AI adoption is outpacing governance, with AI agents operating without guardrails cited as a cause of data loss by 24% of respondents.
Technical Details
- Operational disruption was the largest cost category at $1.39 million on average, followed by $1.05 million from idle time and lost productivity.
- Care disruption by attack type: supply chain 90% (up from 87%), ransomware 72% (up from 67%), cloud/account compromise 65%. Ransomware was most associated with longer patient stays (70%), and BEC with delays in procedures and tests (68%).
- Ransomware payments declined: 31% of affected organizations paid (33% in 2025), and the average costliest payment fell from $1.2 million to $1.1 million.
- Organizations averaged 21 data loss or exfiltration incidents over two years. 54% said these disrupted patient care, and 56% of that group reported increased mortality rates. Employee negligence remained the leading cause.
- Cloud/account compromises reached up to 20 per organization on average. 35% of organizations have moved clinical applications to the cloud (30% in 2025), and 44% more plan to within two years.
- AI governance gaps: 60% lack controls on sensitive data used in AI systems, only 42% use security measures designed for AI systems and agents, and 32% have full visibility into unsanctioned AI use. Top AI concerns are supply chain risk from AI vendors (40%), data leakage through prompts (36%) and AI-generated phishing (34%).
Remediation
The article is a vendor survey and gives no specific technical remediation. Proofpoint's stated position is that healthcare organizations need security built around interactions between people and AI systems accessing sensitive data and clinical workflows, so that AI can be adopted without compromising patient trust.
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Proofpoint-Ponemon 2026 report: 97% of US healthcare orgs hit by cyberattacks, 74% report patient care disruption
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Proofpoint and the Ponemon Institute released their fifth annual Cyber Insecurity in Healthcare report, based on a survey of 705 IT and security practitioners at U.S. healthcare organizations. 97% of respondents experienced at least one cyberattack in the past 12 months, and 74% of those reported disruption to patient care. The average number of attacks rose to 51 (from 43 in 2025), and the average cost of the most expensive attack rose to $4.2 million (from $3.9 million). Supply chain attacks had the greatest impact on patient care, with 90% of affected organizations reporting disruption. The report also highlights that AI adoption is outpacing governance, with AI agents operating without guardrails cited as a cause of data loss by 24% of respondents.
Technical Details
- Operational disruption was the largest cost category at $1.39 million on average, followed by $1.05 million from idle time and lost productivity.
- Care disruption by attack type: supply chain 90% (up from 87%), ransomware 72% (up from 67%), cloud/account compromise 65%. Ransomware was most associated with longer patient stays (70%), and BEC with delays in procedures and tests (68%).
- Ransomware payments declined: 31% of affected organizations paid (33% in 2025), and the average costliest payment fell from $1.2 million to $1.1 million.
- Organizations averaged 21 data loss or exfiltration incidents over two years. 54% said these disrupted patient care, and 56% of that group reported increased mortality rates. Employee negligence remained the leading cause.
- Cloud/account compromises reached up to 20 per organization on average. 35% of organizations have moved clinical applications to the cloud (30% in 2025), and 44% more plan to within two years.
- AI governance gaps: 60% lack controls on sensitive data used in AI systems, only 42% use security measures designed for AI systems and agents, and 32% have full visibility into unsanctioned AI use. Top AI concerns are supply chain risk from AI vendors (40%), data leakage through prompts (36%) and AI-generated phishing (34%).
Remediation
The article is a vendor survey and gives no specific technical remediation. Proofpoint's stated position is that healthcare organizations need security built around interactions between people and AI systems accessing sensitive data and clinical workflows, so that AI can be adopted without compromising patient trust.