Health sector may face spillover cyberattacks amid Ukraine conflict: Report – Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News

Cybersecurity group the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC) is warning that Russia-linked threat actors may launch cyberattacks against U.S. and NATO infrastructure in response to a new U.S. weapons commitment to Ukraine.

On July 14, the U.S. announced plans to provide Ukraine with advanced weapons through NATO if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire within 50 days. As of July 28, that deadline was shortened to 12 days, intensifying diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

Shortly after the update, pro-Ukrainian hackers claimed responsibility for an attack on Russia’s largest airline—an escalation that, according to Health-ISAC, could further heighten cyber tensions.

Health-ISAC’s July 28 bulletin warned that retaliatory cyberattacks by Russia-aligned groups may target critical infrastructure in the U.S. and NATO countries. These attacks could be carried out by hacktivists or ransomware-as-a-service operators with ties to Russian interests, the organization said.

“These attacks may involve destructive data-wiping tools rather than traditional denial-of-service methods,” the report stated.

While the healthcare sector is not part of the defense industrial base, Health-ISAC said it remains a key component of NATO nations’ critical infrastructure and may be vulnerable to spillover attacks.

The organization recommended that healthcare organizations take precautionary steps such as enabling multi-factor authentication, providing cybersecurity training for employees and ensuring timely software patching.