UCSD Study: More Than 750 Hospitals Experienced Disruptions At Hands Of Crowdstrike Breach
Becker's Hospital Review
|
Contributed by: Kate Gamble
Summary
In July 2024, a software failure of CrowdStrike's Falcon cybersecurity system caused significant technology disruptions across over 750 U.S. hospitals, revealing vulnerabilities in healthcare IT infrastructure. A study from the University of California San Diego found that 34% of hospitals experienced a loss of responsiveness in internet-connected services, impacting crucial patient care functions, including access to health records and imaging. With median downtime of about five hours and some outages lasting over 48 hours, the incident underscores the pressing need for robust cybersecurity measures and contingency planning in healthcare technology. This disruption highlights the potential consequences of IT failures on patient safety and operational efficiency, urging healthcare professionals to prioritize resilience in digital systems.
