CloudWave’s Predictions for Healthcare IT in 2025 Part 3: A Growing Threat of Healthcare Supply Chain Attacks

In the first installments (Part 1, Part 2) of CloudWave’s predictions series on healthcare IT developments for 2025, we discussed why healthcare organizations must prioritize patient-centric cybersecurity approaches to better protect care delivery. We also shared our thoughts on how healthcare organizations will implement more proactive cybersecurity approaches that emphasize prevention in addition to detection and response. In this next edition of our series, we shift the focus to the growing threat of healthcare supply chain attacks.

While ransomware attacks continue to dominate cybersecurity discussions, healthcare organizations must recognize supply chain attacks as an equally significant and growing threat. Any organization that healthcare providers depend on for services, supplies, software, or hardware can be a potential supply chain risk. The consequences of an attack can be severe, with disruptions to operational continuity, patient care, and even financial stability.

According to recent data, there has been a triple-digit year-over-year increase in supply chain attacks impacting healthcare operations. Yet despite this growing threat, only a small percentage have documented steps to prevent and respond to a supply chain attack. These attacks will continue to rise in frequency and severity, with more healthcare organizations falling victim to them.

To address these challenges, healthcare organizations need to consider the broader supply chain ecosystem beyond their internal IT departments and develop comprehensive incident response plans involving the entire organization. Healthcare organizations must invest more in supply chain security by implementing advanced security measures, utilizing third-party risk management platforms, conducting regular risk assessments, taking proactive steps to mitigate risks, and ultimately ensuring the continuity of patient care.

Are you interesting in testing how your organization would react to a supply chain cyber event? Learn more about our tabletop simulations here.

Jacob Wheeler, Sr. Solutions Architect