* [Blog](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog) * [Palo Alto Networks](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/corporate/) * [Healthcare](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/healthcare/) * 5 Trends Shaping Healthca... # 5 Trends Shaping Healthcare Cybersecurity in 2025 [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Forigin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2F5-trends-shaping-healthcare-cybersecurity-in-2025%2F) [](https://twitter.com/share?text=5+Trends+Shaping+Healthcare+Cybersecurity+in+2025&url=https%3A%2F%2Forigin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2F5-trends-shaping-healthcare-cybersecurity-in-2025%2F) [](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Forigin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2F5-trends-shaping-healthcare-cybersecurity-in-2025%2F&title=5+Trends+Shaping+Healthcare+Cybersecurity+in+2025&summary=&source=) [](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com//www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2025/01/5-trends-shaping-healthcare-cybersecurity-in-2025/&ts=markdown) \[\](mailto:?subject=5 Trends Shaping Healthcare Cybersecurity in 2025) Link copied By [Troy Ament](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/author/troy-ament/?ts=markdown "Posts by Troy Ament") and [Tarun Sondhi](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/author/tarun-sondhi/?ts=markdown "Posts by Tarun Sondhi") Jan 15, 2025 5 minutes [Healthcare](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/healthcare/?ts=markdown) [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown) [healthcare cybersecurity](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/healthcare-cybersecurity/?ts=markdown) [trends](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/trends/?ts=markdown) 2024 ushered in significant changes for the healthcare industry. Industry-wide digital transformation, remote care expansion, increased merger and acquisition (M\&A) activity as well as rapid AI adoption led to unprecedented growth of data and devices. Unfortunately, this increased reliance on health data also coincided with a surge in cyberattacks --- [92% of healthcare organizations experienced a cyberattack in 2024](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cybersecurity/92-of-healthcare-organizations-experienced-a-cyberattack-in-2024.html). As Palo Alto Networks recently explored in [our predictions for the next year](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/why-paloaltonetworks/cyber-predictions), we expect that critical infrastructure sectors, such as healthcare, will face heightened risks with their significant IP and critical data repositories, making them attractive targets and more vulnerable to sophisticated disruptions. Now, healthcare organizations are at a critical inflection point -- they must advance digital transformation and do so securely. How do they strike that balance? By looking ahead at what's on the horizon and implementing the solutions to get ahead of those changes today. Palo Alto Networks and Accenture are partnering with healthcare organizations worldwide to strengthen cyber resilience in the evolving landscape. # Top 5 Healthcare Cybersecurity Trends ### 1. M\&A Activity Will Boost Growth, but Also Increase Risk Industry-wide M\&A transactions continue driving growth and care efficiency within healthcare organizations. But M\&A activities pose unique challenges due to the elaborate and interconnected nature of healthcare IT systems, and the risk of a data breach [nearly doubles in the year before and after M\&A activity](https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/hospital-data-breach-increase-merger-acquisition/690237/). **Strategies to Consider** When it comes to M\&A, an [acquisition-ready SASE architecture and attack surface management (ASM) solution](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/apps/pan/public/downloadResource?pagePath=/content/pan/en_US/resources/guides/use-case-acquisition-ready-architecture-for-healthcare) can reduce security risk and ensure availability of applications, services and devices. ### 2. Zero Trust Will Gain Popularity, but Getting There Will Be a Challenge​ Zero Trust architecture makes multicloud environments, internet of things (IoT) ecosystems and enhanced mobility possible without compromising security. But with so many tools across healthcare organizations, it's hard to have a clear starting point or understanding of interactions, resulting in inconsistent protections. **Strategies to Consider** Zero Trust policies and controls can ensure continuous trust validation and security inspection, as well as consistent least privilege security policy for healthcare apps, users and devices. ### 3. Securing Data and Devices Will Become Even More Complex Medical IoT devices are redefining how healthcare organizations deliver care. Yet most medical devices are not designed with security in mind. In fact, [57% of IoT devices are vulnerable](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cybersecurity-perspectives/understanding-the-basics-of-iot-security) to medium or high-severity attacks. With an [estimated 2 million different kinds of IoMT devices](https://www.who.int/health-topics/medical-devices) on the world market today, protecting them will be more essential than ever. Additionally, as supply chains grow more complex, it's leading to vulnerability. Similarly, while distributed care models help organizations deliver patient-centric care, dispersed information can make it more difficult to protect patient privacy and maintain compliance with regulations while ensuring authorized access to patient data. **Strategies to Consider** Securing connected devices on a centralized platform enables accurate device discovery at scale with comprehensive visibility, risk assessment and security policy enforcement. A comprehensive enterprise data loss prevention (DLP) solution can also provide the visibility, insights and control to protect patient privacy while ensuring authorized access to sensitive and confidential data. In ["The Cyber-Resilient CEO"](https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/accenture-com/document-2/Accenture-The-Cyber-Resilient-CEO-Final.pdf) you can explore the complexities of cyberthreats and five actions that CEOs can take to be more cyber resilient. ### 4. It's Less About Using AI and More About Doing It Safely The rapid integration of AI has driven unprecedented innovation, including the potential to enhance healthcare security through threat detection, automated response, predictive analytics and more. But AI also introduces significant risks and challenges, including regulatory compliance, data bias and integration with legacy systems. For example, there has been a [76% rise in ransomware attacks](https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/accenture-com/document-2/Accenture-Cybersecurity-In-The-Generative-AI-Era.pdf) since the launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022. **Strategies to Consider** [AI Access Security™](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/ai-access-security) combined with [Prisma® Cloud AI Security Posture Management (AI-SPM)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/cloud/ai-spm) and [AI Runtime Security™](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/ai-runtime-security) can help organizations secure generative AI and AI-powered apps by design. Look at [Accenture's blueprint for responsible AI](https://www.accenture.com/us-en/case-studies/data-ai/blueprint-responsible-ai) to see how other companies are mitigating potential risks from AI. ### 5. Tech Sprawl Will Continue Hindering Organizations Many organizations have acquired a vast collection of point solutions, with some reporting [as many as 76 security tools to manage](https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/organizations-76-security-tools/). This massive tech sprawl can jeopardize a healthcare organization's ability to maintain compliance and properly react to a security event. **Strategies to Consider** Tool rationalization can help break down security silos, streamline operations for IT and security staff, and unlock efficiencies and cost-savings. ## Let's Plan for 2025 and Beyond If that sounds like a lot to consider, there's good news. Palo Alto Networks and Accenture provide healthcare organizations with the advanced technologies and expert guidance needed to navigate threats, no matter how they evolve. By combining cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions, end-to-end cloud services and a deep understanding of the intricacies of the healthcare industry, this collaboration empowers healthcare organizations to build stronger security postures and continue delivering innovative patient care while maintaining the highest levels of data security and privacy. To learn more about our platform approach to healthcare cybersecurity, visit our [healthcare resource hub](https://know.paloaltonetworks.com/accenturehealthcare?utm_source=5-trends-blog). *** ** * ** *** ## Related Blogs ### [Healthcare](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/healthcare/?ts=markdown), [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown) [#### Curb Healthcare Costs --- Can Cybersecurity Platformization Help?](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2025/02/curb-healthcare-costs-can-cybersecurity-platformization-help/) ### [Healthcare](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/healthcare/?ts=markdown), [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown), [Use-Cases](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/sase/category/use-cases/?ts=markdown) [#### How Zero Trust Accelerates a More Secure Infrastructure for Healthcare](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/sase/how-zero-trust-accelerates-a-more-secure-infrastructure-for-healthcare/) ### [AI Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/ai-security/?ts=markdown), [Announcement](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/announcement/?ts=markdown), [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown), [Products and Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/products-and-services/?ts=markdown) [#### The Power of Glean and Prisma AIRS Integration](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2026/02/power-of-glean-and-prisma-airs-integration/) ### [Announcement](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/announcement/?ts=markdown), [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown), [Products and Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/products-and-services/?ts=markdown) [#### New Year, New Program, New Opportunities](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2026/02/new-year-new-program-new-opportunities/) ### [AI Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/ai-security/?ts=markdown), [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown) [#### Unified AI-Powered Security](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2026/01/unified-ai-powered-security/) ### [AI Application Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/network-security/category/ai-application-security/?ts=markdown), [Partners](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/partners/?ts=markdown), [Products and Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/products-and-services/?ts=markdown) [#### Prisma AIRS Secures the Power of Factory's Software Development Agents](https://origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2026/01/prisma-airs-secures-power-factorys-software/) ### Subscribe to the Blog! 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