What is Human Factors Theory

Cyber-attacks from internal and external bad actors have become increasingly pervasive in healthcare. It is estimated that the healthcare field made up about 24% of all the cyber-attacks in 2019. The total financial loss is estimated to be 6 billion dollars, about 7.13 million per attack, compared to $3.86 million in all other fields. Moreover, cyber-terrorist groups, such as SamSam, Conti, and WannaCry, do not just target one organization at a time. When they unleash their ransomware, it is on multiple organizations simultaneously and crosses state lines and country borders. Metropolitan Health Systems (MHS), a hospital system in Ohio, is one such hospital that has been a target for both external and internal cyber-attacks five times within the last eight years (2015 – 2023). The hospital and its third-party vendors have experienced data theft, leaving the hospital system vulnerable to future cyber-attacks. This case analysis defines the current problem, develops a risk management plan, and creates solutions for how MHS can plan for and mitigate any cyber-attacks in the future.