In January 2025, the European Commission unveiled a landmark action plan designed to protect hospitals and healthcare providers across the European Union from the rising tide of cyber threats. With healthcare systems increasingly targeted by cybercriminals, including ransomware attacks and data breaches, the urgency of robust cybersecurity measures has never been greater. This action plan aims to safeguard the very systems that manage patient data, deliver medical services, and maintain critical healthcare infrastructures.
As healthcare organizations have become prime targets for cyberattacks due to the sensitive nature of patient data and the increasing reliance on digital health systems, the European Commission’s new action plan takes a comprehensive approach to improve the security posture of the healthcare sector. The plan is structured around four key pillars: Prevent, Detect, Respond and Recover, and Deter, each of which focuses on a crucial area of cybersecurity.
This plan is not just a directive from the European Commission but a collaborative effort involving healthcare providers, EU member states, and the cybersecurity community. It aims to create a more resilient healthcare system, better prepared to withstand and recover from cyberattacks. This article provides an in-depth look at the European Action Plan on Cybersecurity, outlining its key components, goals, and the necessary steps to improve cybersecurity across Europe’s healthcare sector.
The Growing Threat to Healthcare Systems
Healthcare providers have become prime targets for cybercriminals due to the value of the data they hold and the critical nature of their operations. Patient records, diagnostic images, and medical history are highly valuable for both identity theft and resale on the black market. Additionally, healthcare providers are often seen as soft targets because their focus is typically on patient care, not cybersecurity.
Ransomware attacks are one of the most prominent threats facing healthcare systems today. In these attacks, cybercriminals encrypt critical data or disrupt essential systems, demanding a ransom in exchange for restoring access. The effects of such attacks are devastating — they can halt operations, delay treatments, compromise patient safety, and result in the loss of valuable data.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation by accelerating the adoption of digital technologies in healthcare. While these innovations have led to improved efficiency, they have also opened new avenues for cyber threats. From telemedicine platforms to electronic health records (EHR), digital health systems are highly vulnerable if not properly protected.
In light of these growing threats, the European Commission’s action plan seeks to ensure that healthcare systems across the EU are equipped to face the challenges of cybersecurity in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
The Four Pillars of the European Action Plan
The action plan proposed by the European Commission is structured around four key pillars that will guide the cybersecurity strategy for Europe’s healthcare sector. Each pillar addresses a different aspect of cybersecurity, from prevention to response, ensuring a comprehensive approach to securing healthcare systems.
1. Prevent: Building Capacities for Cybersecurity Prevention
The first pillar of the action plan focuses on prevention. Building the capacity to prevent cybersecurity incidents is essential to minimizing risk. Healthcare systems must be prepared to proactively address potential threats before they cause harm.
This pillar emphasizes the importance of robust risk management practices, which include conducting regular risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities within healthcare networks, systems, and infrastructure. Risk assessments help prioritize the most pressing threats and allocate resources to protect the most critical assets. Healthcare organizations must also integrate cybersecurity training for healthcare professionals to enhance awareness and skills in identifying and responding to cyber threats.
One of the key components of this pillar is the establishment of enhanced preparedness measures. Healthcare providers will be encouraged to adopt best practices in cybersecurity hygiene, such as implementing multi-factor authentication, updating software regularly, and using encryption for sensitive data.
Furthermore, healthcare providers will be encouraged to collaborate with the cybersecurity community to stay up to date with the latest threats and solutions. Establishing a culture of cybersecurity awareness within the healthcare sector is essential to reducing vulnerabilities and preventing cyber incidents.
2. Detect: Enhancing Threat Detection Capacity
The second pillar of the action plan focuses on detection. In order to respond to cyber threats effectively, healthcare systems must be able to detect them quickly.
To achieve this, the European Commission aims to enhance the threat detection capacity of healthcare providers through the adoption of more sophisticated detection tools. These tools will help identify potential cyberattacks in real-time, allowing for swift intervention before significant damage is done. Advanced threat detection capabilities are crucial for identifying subtle indicators of cyber intrusion, such as unauthorized access attempts or unusual activity in healthcare systems.
A major initiative under this pillar is the development of an EU-wide early warning subscription service for the healthcare sector, which is set to be rolled out by 2026. This service will provide real-time alerts about emerging threats and vulnerabilities in healthcare systems, enabling stakeholders to take preventive actions before attacks occur. By pooling resources and sharing information across borders, the EU can build a more cohesive and informed approach to cybersecurity across its member states.
The subscription service will be part of a broader network for cybersecurity information exchange, which will also allow for the sharing of threat intelligence and best practices among EU member states and healthcare providers. This collaboration will help identify trends in cyber threats and improve collective defenses across Europe’s healthcare sector.
3. Respond and Recover: Ensuring Resilience in Healthcare Systems
The third pillar of the action plan focuses on responding to and recovering from cybersecurity incidents. While preventing attacks is crucial, the reality is that no system can be completely immune to cyber threats. Therefore, the healthcare sector must be prepared to respond swiftly and recover quickly when incidents occur.
This pillar emphasizes the importance of the EU Cybersecurity Reserve, a dedicated pool of resources to assist in responding to large-scale cyber incidents. The reserve will provide immediate support to healthcare providers during critical incidents, including technical expertise, incident management, and recovery services.
Additionally, the action plan calls for incident response services that can be quickly mobilized in the event of a cyberattack. These services will include expert teams that can assist healthcare organizations with mitigating the effects of an attack, restoring services, and securing systems. Healthcare providers will also be encouraged to participate in national cybersecurity exercises that simulate cyberattacks to test and improve their incident response capabilities.
By improving the ability to respond to incidents and ensuring that recovery mechanisms are in place, the European Commission aims to minimize the impact of cyberattacks on healthcare services and protect patients from harm.
4. Deter: Deterring Cyber Threat Actors
The final pillar of the action plan is deterrence. While prevention and response are essential, it is equally important to take steps to deter cybercriminals from targeting European healthcare systems in the first place.
To achieve this, the action plan emphasizes the use of the Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox, which includes diplomatic, legal, and technical measures to combat cyber threats. The European Union aims to work with international partners to hold cybercriminals accountable and discourage them from targeting healthcare systems. This may involve sanctions or other punitive actions against individuals or organizations that engage in cyberattacks against European healthcare providers.
By deterring cyber threat actors through a combination of strong diplomatic measures and technical defenses, the EU hopes to reduce the likelihood of attacks on healthcare systems and improve the overall security landscape.
The Consultation Process: Shaping the Future of Healthcare Cybersecurity
The European Commission recognizes that collaboration with stakeholders is essential to the success of the action plan. Therefore, a consultation will be launched soon to gather feedback from healthcare providers, cybersecurity experts, and other relevant stakeholders. This consultation will allow the Commission to refine the plan’s actions and ensure that they are practical, effective, and aligned with the needs of the healthcare sector.
Healthcare organizations, from hospitals to health-tech providers, will be encouraged to participate in the consultation process. Their input will be vital in shaping the future of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector, ensuring that the action plan addresses the real challenges and concerns faced by those on the frontlines of healthcare delivery.
A Secure Future for Healthcare in Europe
The European Commission’s action plan on the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers represents a significant step toward securing Europe’s healthcare systems against the growing threat of cyberattacks. With its four-pillar approach—Prevent, Detect, Respond and Recover, and Deter—the plan provides a comprehensive framework for enhancing the cybersecurity resilience of healthcare organizations across the EU.
As the healthcare sector continues to embrace digital technologies, it is crucial that cybersecurity remains a top priority. Through collaborative efforts between governments, healthcare providers, and the cybersecurity community, Europe can build a healthcare system that is not only technologically advanced but also secure, resilient, and capable of delivering high-quality care in the face of evolving cyber threats.
The European Commission’s action plan is a critical first step in this process, but the real work will begin with its implementation. With the engagement of stakeholders and a strong commitment to cybersecurity, Europe’s healthcare systems can be better prepared to face the challenges of the digital age.
