Cybersecurity isn’t just about preventing data loss—it’s about protecting patient lives.

In the healthcare sector, breaches aren’t just disruptive. They’re dangerous. From ransomware locking clinical systems to stolen patient records fueling fraud, the impact is both financial and deeply personal.

But as our latest research shows, there’s a proven way to reduce your risk: cyber hygiene.

Hygiene and Breach Frequency: The Direct Connection

RiskRecon analyzed 14,583 U.S. healthcare organizations over a ten-year period. The findings are unambiguous:

  • Organizations rated C, D, or F had a 4.4x higher breach frequency than those rated A.

  • 46% of those lower-rated organizations had a publicly reported breach between 2015–2024.

  • In contrast, just 10% of A-rated organizations reported breaches.

That’s not just correlation—it’s an operational reality.

The Anatomy of Poor Hygiene

Breached organizations didn’t just get unlucky. On average, at the time of breach, they had:

  • 12x more high-severity vulnerabilities

  • 7x more unsafe exposed services

  • 15x more encryption issues in sensitive systems

Worse, many also lacked strong internal defenses, allowing attackers to move quickly after the initial compromise.

What Happens After a Breach?

Interestingly, the study also found that breach events often trigger dramatic improvements.

Post-breach, affected organizations saw:

  • A 3.2x reduction in critical software patching issues

  • A 3.8x drop in encryption misconfigurations

  • A 2.3x drop in exposed unsafe services

So why wait?

A Better Approach: Proactive Hygiene Monitoring

RiskRecon gives healthcare organizations a new way to stay ahead of risk.

Rather than waiting for an incident, our cybersecurity ratings provide continuous visibility into your own organization and your third-party vendors. With this insight, you can:

  • Spot weaknesses before they’re exploited

  • Prioritize remediation based on real-world risk

  • Monitor progress and prove improvement

For healthcare organizations tasked with protecting lives, visibility and vigilance are non-negotiable.

📘 Download the full report to learn how strong hygiene can change your trajectory.