The importance of cybersecurity in healthcare rose during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare cybersecurity is implemented to protect patient safety and privacy and mitigate disruptions to business operations and company reputation. For instance, pharma companies have proprietary scientific data and intellectual property, medical devices companies develop connected devices, and healthcare companies collect and utilize patient data. The increased use of technology to support virtual care and digital monitoring, especially the cloud, increased the risk of cyberattacks. Additionally, the high speed of transition meant many IT security teams had insufficient time to install adequate security defenses.

The rush from in-person care to virtual care and digital monitoring, and from office-based work to remote working amid the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly increased cyber risk. The increased use of technology, especially cloud, increased the potential attack surface, and the high speed of transition required meant many information technology security teams had insufficient time to install adequate security defenses. Healthcare companies, especially hospitals and pharma companies, reported increases in cyberattack attempts and government bodies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued warnings about the increased threat.