A new report on how Microsoft is helping rural communities protect critical healthcare infrastructure
Last year, Microsoft launched its Cybersecurity for Rural Hospitals Program an initiative designed to help protect access to healthcare for the 46 million people living in rural America. Funded through a philanthropic investment, the program now has more than 550 rural hospitals, nearly one-third of all US rural hospitals, participating to receive free cybersecurity assessments, cybersecurity training, Microsoft security product discounts, and AI solutions designed to promote hospital resiliency.
Today, we are releasing a new white paper sharing what we’ve learned in the last year, including insights on the current cybersecurity landscape for rural health and the role technology companies can play. Our goal with this program is to address both the immediate cyber risks facing these critical community resources as well as broader systemic challenges facing rural health.
Click here to read the Microsoft report
Rural hospitals are a cornerstone of healthcare in communities across the United States, providing critical services for roughly 14% of the U.S. population. The need to support rural hospitals is immense. These hospitals are often the only healthcare option for over 50 miles in the communities they serve. A cyberattack that disrupts care for weeks or months in these isolated settings can have a devastating impact and endanger human lives. When a rural hospital’s IT systems go down, patients often need to travel even longer distances for medical care. Long travel distances for healthcare are directly associated with higher mortality rates, particularly for time-sensitive conditions like heart attacks and strokes.
The rural health cybersecurity landscape
According to an FBI reportthe healthcare sector reported more ransomware attacks in 2023 than any of the other critical infrastructure areas in the study. Given the highly sensitive personal data involved, healthcare is a rich target for increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals and nation-state threat actors launching cyberattacks. According to a recent report based on a survey of 402 healthcare organizations, 67% experienced a ransomware attack in the past year, with the average admitted ransom payment amounting to $4.4 million.
And while larger hospitals can often pay ransoms to avoid patient care disruptions, ransomware attacks pose a particular threat to rural hospitals who operate with much smaller operational teams and financial margins. Rural hospitals are prime targets for these attacks due to their often-limited resources and legacy technology. For rural hospitals, a ransomware attack may represent a tipping point toward closure, impacting not just the hospital, but the communities they serve with potentially life-threatening consequences.
As we’ve worked with these hospitals in the last year, our goal has been to help create strong security not just through our products but to also help address specific practice needs and identify broader systemic issues. For example, early on, we found most rural hospitals hadn’t implemented basic cybersecurity best practices, such as email security and multi-factor authentication. By delivering a holistic solution that includes free assessment, curated learning pathways for employees, and non-profit pricing for Critical Access and Rural Emergency Hospitals, we can help these hospitals to be less vulnerable to common threats and ultimately, better serve their communities.
Supporting rural health resilience
With the release of today’s white paper, we hope to increase awareness and understanding of these issues and drive more collaboration between technology companies, policymakers, and healthcare providers to enhance the cybersecurity resilience of rural hospitals.
In the coming months, Microsoft will continue to expand efforts to support rural hospitals, ensuring they have the tools and resources needed to mitigate cyber threats and enhance their overall resilience. Leveraging AI for greater efficiency—by streamlining and automating some hospital processes—is just one way we are looking to provide support.
By addressing both immediate cybersecurity risks and broader systemic challenges, we can help ensure that rural hospitals remain a vital part of the healthcare ecosystem, providing essential services to millions of Americans.
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