Medical personal data is among the most sensitive data categories. It includes health conditions, treatments, diagnoses, and often deeply personal circumstances. That sensitivity is exactly why attackers value it: it is scarce, high-impact, and often usable for a long time.
Why medical data is attractive
- High value: useful for extortion and fraud.
- Long-lived: you can’t “change” a diagnosis like a password.
- Identity abuse: combined data points strengthen impersonation and fraud.
- Operational pressure: healthcare can’t be down for long, making ransomware effective.
Common threats
- Ransomware: encryption and extortion.
- Data exfiltration: theft and threat of publication.
- Phishing and social engineering: account takeover and credential theft.
- Accidental disclosure: misaddressed email or overly open links.
What employees can do
- Double-check recipients and attachments before sending.
- Use MFA where available and choose strong passwords.
- Report suspicious messages quickly.
- Share records only through approved channels.
What organizations should implement
- Access control: least privilege and fast offboarding.
- MFA and logging: protect accounts and detect misuse early.
- Backups and recovery: tested and separated from production.
- Awareness: role-based, repeatable, measurable.
- Incident response: clear reporting routes and exercises.
Conclusion
Medical personal data is highly valuable because it is sensitive and long-lasting. Protecting it requires both strong controls and a culture where people report and learn quickly. That reduces both likelihood and impact of incidents.