Anthem's $16 million settlement with the federal government for a massive data breach is just another example of the extreme vulnerabilities the industry faces from hackers and other evildoers. Hackers got into Anthem's network in 2015, stealing names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, home addresses and other information on more than 79 million customers.
Data breaches at healthcare organizations have consistently increased year over year, with 277 occurring this year through Oct. 1, compared with 271 during the same period last year. While hackers sell patient data on the dark web, hospitals and health systems struggle to recover, sometimes even slowing business to do so.
