Global health and pharma industry facing data security threat: Kaspersky

The global health and pharmaceutical industry is facing threat of data breach, a senior official of Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said on Thursday.

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in recent years has seen a surge in cyber threats, Kaspersky Managing Director (Asia-Pacific) Stephan Neumeier told reporters at the 5th CyberSecurity Weekend event in Yangon, Myanmar.

"Attacks against hospitals and pharmaceuticals have been happening worldwide, especially in the West. Recent years have, however, seen the threat creeping towards APAC," he said.

The medical industry in the region can incur economic losses of up to USD 23.3 million from cybersecurity incidents, he said quoting a report.

Neumeier said the industry is not equipped enough to face the virtual danger and with the rapid digitalisation in the healthcare sector and cybercriminals are seeing more opportunities to attack this lucrative and critical industry.

He added that Singapore, which is highly-connected and considered as the technology and business hub of Asia, has suffered four data breaches concerning healthcare organisations in just 12 months. "One incident even involved health records of the country's prime minister, " he said.

The infamous Wannacry ransomware has also crippled several medical establishments in the region, particularly in China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, he added.