2025: Double the breaches, but less patient data compromised

In 2025 the frequency of healthcare data breaches more than doubled, yet the number of patient records exposed significantly decreased. The briefing suggests this indicates a shift in the data breach landscape, driven largely by ransomware, identity compromise and third‑party weakness.

According to Fortified Health Security, this represents progress in limiting breach size but signals a new phase of cyber risk where operational resilience, response capacity and workforce sustainability matter as much as traditional data protection measures. The Fortified Health Security report pulled data from the HHS Office for Civil Rights, its own NIST Cybersecurity Framework assessments and real‑world incident response experience. The article was posted on 20 January 2026.