Islamabad: On World Health Day, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has highlighted the rising risks associated with the digitization of healthcare and the rapid adoption of telemedicine. Experts warn that medical records are increasingly vulnerable to breaches, often ending up on the dark web, while healthcare operations may face disruptions or misuse of sensitive patient data by third parties.
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Telemedicine has become a core component of healthcare delivery, but security measures have lagged behind adoption. Recent incidents underscore the severity of these risks. In 2023, telehealth provider Cerebral was found to be sharing sensitive patient data – including mental health assessments and personal identifiers – with third-party platforms like social media and advertising networks, affecting millions of users over several years.
In 2025, other breaches exposed large-scale vulnerabilities in digital healthcare systems. The ManageMyHealth patient portal leak affected over 120,000 patients, while SimonMed Imaging suffered a cyberattack compromising more than one million records, with ransomware demands reported. These cases illustrate that both individual telemedicine platforms and broader healthcare infrastructures are prime targets for cybercriminals.
Kaspersky also warns of evolving scam campaigns targeting patients. Fraudulent medical websites often request personal information, including addresses, insurance details, medications, and even photos of affected body parts. These sites use fake branding, doctored profiles, and urgent calls to action to convince users to share sensitive data, which may then be sold on the dark web, used for identity theft, or exploited in targeted attacks.
Anna Larkina, Web Content and Privacy Analysis Expert at Kaspersky, commented: “The digital healthcare experience is transforming access to care, but it is also expanding the attack surface in ways many users underestimate. Medical data is highly valuable and actively traded on the dark web, making patients a prime target for fraud. Security and privacy must become a core part of the digital healthcare experience.”
To stay safe, Kaspersky advises users to verify healthcare providers, avoid clicking on unsolicited links, rely on official apps and websites for booking appointments, and use reliable security solutions with AI-powered anti-phishing features. Patients are urged to approach online healthcare with the same caution as financial services, treating promotional offers and urgent requests for personal information with skepticism.
