What is the impact of a phishing attack on hospitals and clinics?

Hospitals and clinics are increasingly reliant on digital systems to ensure the quality of care and continuity of medical services.

However, this same digitalization has attracted the attention of cybercriminals, who see the health sector as a gold mine for attacks. Among the most frequent threats, phishing stands out for its simplicity and efficiency.

After all, this tactic exploits the distraction of professionals to gain improper access and compromise sensitive data.

This is because a phishing attack in a hospital environment can have consequences far beyond the loss of information, meaning the shutdown of critical systems, delays in diagnoses and interruption of treatments.

In addition, the financial and reputational damage to healthcare institutions can be irreparable, undermining the trust of patients and partners.

It is in this scenario that understanding the real impact of phishing becomes essential to reinforce the importance of awareness and prevention.

How does phishing reach hospitals and clinics?

Phishing is one of the most common and dangerous threats to the healthcare industry, as it takes advantage of an unavoidable factor, which is human error.

This is extremely serious, because in hospitals and clinics, the routine is intense and time is a scarce resource. In this way, seemingly legitimate emails can deceive professionals by simulating:

• Internal communications;

• Supplier orders;

• Messages from superiors;

• Alert from regulatory agencies.

  
  

With this, it only takes one click on a malicious link or the download of an attachment for critical systems to be compromised, opening doors for data theft or service outage.

In addition to emails, messages through apps and SMS have also become frequent weapons of criminals.

After all, direct and quick contact, often imitating patients, health plans or laboratories, facilitates the collection of sensitive information and a simple request for data confirmation can expose sensitive medical information.

The big problem is that these actions compromise patient privacy and generate legal risks for institutions.

Another powerful technique used by criminals is social engineering, which is based on manipulating the trust of health professionals, because attackers exploit the sense of urgency or authority.

As a result, without preparation and awareness, the line between a legitimate instruction and a well-planned scam can be easily crossed.

Immediate consequences of a phishing attack

When a phishing attack is successful in a hospital or clinic, the first consequence is often the shutdown of hospital systems.

This happens because criminals gain access to credentials or install malware that blocks management platforms, electronic medical records, and scheduling systems.

Without these resources, teams are prevented from accessing basic information, which generates a series of negative effects.

It is important to understand that this stoppage is not limited to the administrative sector. In many cases, equipment connected to the network, such as imaging devices or monitoring systems, can also be compromised.

The big problem with these actions is that the time lost until the systems are restored represents a huge risk in emergency situations, where minutes make a difference.

Another immediate effect is the interruption of essential medical services, such as consultations, exams, and surgeries that may be canceled or postponed due to lack of access to the necessary information and tools.

In addition, patients undergoing ongoing treatment may face dangerous delays, increasing health complications.

Another point is that the pressure on professionals grows, as they need to look for alternatives to maintain care, generating failures and rework, in addition to an emotional overload.

As a result, the hospital environment, which already deals with critical situations on a daily basis, starts to face even more stress when trying to reconcile digital security with the urgency of human care.

In many cases, the complete recovery of systems takes days or even weeks, making it clear that the consequences of a phishing attack are not restricted to the digital world, but translate into concrete risks to patient safety.

How to reduce the risks of phishing in hospital environments?

As we have seen, phishing attacks pose a growing threat to hospitals and clinics, where any security breach can have serious consequences not only for the institution, but especially for patients.

This is because, in such a sensitive sector, reducing risks requires more than technology, it is necessary to combine awareness, good practices, and an organizational culture focused on digital protection.

Only then will it be possible to maintain the continuity of medical services and ensure confidence in the care provided.

Awareness and ongoing training

The first and most important defense against phishing is team awareness, so doctors, nurses, technicians, and administrative staff need to recognize fake emails and messages.

Therefore, regular training campaigns, with practical simulations of attacks, help to create quick and conscious reflexes, after all, the more natural it is to identify a threat, the lower the chance of success for criminals.

But for awareness to have an effect on people, it needs to be continuous. It is important for organizations to invest in short-term training, periodic reinforcements, and clear communications.

This is because these actions keep the topic in evidence in the hospital day-to-day, making awareness part of people's work routine.

Use of protection and monitoring technologies

In addition to awareness, technological protection is essential. Tools such as advanced email filtering, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and anomalous behavior detection systems help stop phishing attempts.

After all, these security layers work as additional barriers, reducing the points of vulnerability within the hospital network.

Another important point is constant monitoring, because having an IT team or specialized partners monitoring alerts in real time allows for quick responses, minimizing the impacts of attacks.

This ensures more resilience and gives confidence for health professionals to stay focused on patient care.

Creating a hospital safety culture

Finally, reducing phishing risks requires cultivating an organizational culture that values digital security as much as physical security.

This means making the topic part of daily conversations, including good practices in institutional protocols, and encouraging professionals to report suspicions without fear of punishment.

Because when everyone understands that they are part of the line of defense, the institution gains a collective strength against attacks. This culture is built with example, communication and engagement.

In addition, leadership must constantly reinforce the importance of safety and create accessible support channels to guide employees.

Thus, prevention is no longer just a technical responsibility and becomes an integrated practice.

What is the role of prevention and safety culture in the health sector?

Prevention is the basis of any security strategy in the health sector, even more so when we talk about hospitals and clinics, where the volume of sensitive information is enormous and professionals deal with critical situations on a daily basis.

That's why preventive measures are so important, as they drastically reduce the likelihood of successful attacks and help keep systems and data secure, ensuring that attention is focused on patient care.

However, technology alone is not enough, so creating a culture of safety is essential for all employees to understand their role in protecting the institution.

For this, it is necessary to have continuous training, clear communication about risks and encouragement to report suspicious situations, actions that transform each professional into an active line of defense.

After all, when prevention and security culture go together, hospitals and clinics can not only minimize the impacts of attacks, but also strengthen the trust of patients, partners, and employees.

This proactive approach allows the institution to focus on what really matters, which is to offer safe and quality care, even in an increasingly challenging scenario in the digital world.

PhishX in phishing prevention

PhishX offers complete solutions to help hospitals and clinics protect against phishing attacks by combining technology and awareness.

Our targeted training enables healthcare professionals to identify suspicious emails and messages, strengthening the institution's first line of defense through practical content and real-world examples.

With this, your organization ensures that each employee knows how to act in the face of possible threats, significantly reducing the risks of compromising sensitive data.

In addition, our phishing simulations allow you to test the readiness of teams in controlled situations, identifying points of vulnerability and reinforcing good security practices.

These continuous exercises create a culture of attention and prevention, making professionals more aware and prepared.

With PhishX, hospitals and clinics not only protect their information, but also ensure continuity of service and patient trust. Contact our experts, schedule a demo and see how we can help you.

Phishing and its risks for hospitals and clinics