"Rural Hospitals May Be More Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks"

According to a new study led by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, although ransomware attacks are more likely in urban areas, operational disruptions may have a greater impact on financially vulnerable rural hospitals and their patients. Patients at rural hospitals are often older, with more health issues and pre-existing barriers to healthcare. Researchers analyzed data on the operations of 43 rural hospitals and 117 urban hospitals that have been hit by ransomware attacks between 2016 and 2021. One of the findings of this study is that rural hospital patients needed further travel to the nearest hospital unaffected by a ransomware attack. This article continues to discuss the study of how ransomware attacks affect care at rural hospitals.

The University of Minnesota reports "Rural Hospitals May Be More Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks"

Submitted by grigby1