Cybercriminals to Launch More Ransomware Attacks as Black Market Price of Health Data Drops

The price of electronic healthcare records is dropping on the dark web. That reality, in turn, appears to be setting cybercriminals on course to launch even more ransomware attacks.

Currently, the cost of a health record ranges from $20 to $50 on the black market and that’s down down from just last year, where records could garner $75 to $100, according to James Scott, senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology.

“The price is down,” Scott said, “which means the volume of availability is exceeding demand.”

In response, there’s been an evolution of how EHR data is sold, according to a recent ICIT report on the dark web and EHRs. Directly after a breach, hackers sell only general information. But a few months later – after the dust has settled – full, long-form records hit the market.

Read full article by Jessica Davis at Healthcare IT News>>