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Ransomware in healthcare is no longer a distant threat but a daily risk. In 2025, attackers are faster, smarter, and laser-focused on hospitals, clinics, and the systems they rely on. Healthcare now accounts for 17% of ransomware attacks worldwide, with U.S. providers facing the brunt. Last year alone, 386 organizations across the country were hit, making up more than half of all global incidents.
Why the surge? Healthcare data is a high-value target. A single patient record can sell for up to $1,000 on the dark web. That includes medical histories, insurance IDs, financial info, and everything in between. When ransomware hits, the damage spreads fast, from blocked access and delayed treatments to regulatory fallout and public trust erosion.
In this blog, we break down the most aggressive types of ransomware hitting healthcare today. You will see how each group operates, how they bypass defenses, and how we help healthcare teams protect themselves from ransomware using layered strategies built for speed, recovery, and resilience.
LockBit 3.0 continues to top global watchlists in 2025. It is responsible for over 1,700 U.S. attacks since 2020, with ransom collections exceeding $91 million. The group targets hospitals through vulnerable RDP setups, unpatched systems, and phishing emails that bypass endpoint controls.
They have also pioneered a triple extortion model through the following process:
On top of that, LockBit frequently deletes Volume Shadow Copies, removing local backup points and limiting recovery options.
At OTAVA, we have designed our immutable backup infrastructure to sidestep that trap. Once written, those backups cannot be changed or deleted. That means even if attackers breach the main network, recovery is just a few clicks away.
BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, made global headlines with its role in the Change Healthcare breach, a 2024 event that forced a $22 million payout. The group’s attack disrupted pharmacies, billing systems, and claims processing, with ripple effects across the U.S. healthcare system.
They often enter through Follina/MSDT vulnerabilities and embed themselves using living-off-the-land binaries (LOLBins) to blend into legitimate network activity. Once inside, they escalate privileges through NTLMv2 flaws and execute double extortion campaigns that are hard to trace and even harder to stop.
At OTAVA, we counter this level of stealth with cloud data protection services that emphasize segmentation, containment, and response. Our architecture uses microsegmentation and lateral movement controls to isolate sensitive environments. This gives hospitals the breathing room they need to respond without fear of spread or escalation.
In early 2025, Qilin emerged as the most active ransomware group, responsible for 74 attacks in April alone. They previously operated as Agenda and have since expanded under a RaaS model that allows affiliates to launch attacks using shared infrastructure.
Qilin favors spear-phishing, Cobalt Strike payloads, and remote management exploits to infiltrate healthcare networks. Their tactics mirror legitimate system processes, which delay detection and increase dwell time.
RansomHub, while temporarily offline in April, remains active and dangerous. The group specializes in CVE-2020-1472 (Zerologon) exploits that give them immediate control over domain structures and user permissions. Once inside, they deploy Golang-based ransomware and begin encrypting files across the network.
To handle these threats, OTAVA deploys continuous data protection for our healthcare partners. This means live replication of critical data to secure, off-site environments. Even if primary systems are compromised, clean versions remain accessible for rollback and restoration without the delays or downtime.
These three groups continue to wreak havoc across healthcare networks. Each uses a different entry point, but all aim for maximum disruption and ransom leverage.
Akira has grown rapidly, launching 70 confirmed attacks in April 2025 alone. They use double extortion, demanding payment for both data decryption and suppression of leaked files. Their success lies in speed, as they often encrypt full systems within hours of access.
MedusaLocker relies heavily on open RDP ports, which remain a common vulnerability in small and mid-sized providers. Once in, they move laterally and lock down everything from EMRs to diagnostic platforms.
Play takes a different route. They focus on software vendors and IT service providers that support hospitals. A single breach in a supply chain can cascade to dozens of downstream clients.
For these threats, patching alone is not enough. OTAVA supports hospitals through endpoint hardening, continuous risk assessments, and advanced analytics built into our S.E.C.U.R.E.™ Framework. It is designed to help identify weak points across infrastructure, vendors, and third-party tools.
One of the biggest shifts in recent years is the dominance of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). Groups like BlackCat, Qilin, and RansomHub no longer carry out every attack themselves. Instead, they license their ransomware to affiliates, many of whom are low-skilled but well-equipped.
RaaS has made ransomware global, scalable, and profitable. These groups often provide onboarding documents, encryption keys, payment portals, and real-time chat for ransom negotiation. Affiliates may launch attacks from different countries, making attribution difficult and enforcement even harder.
OTAVA focuses on pre-empting these affiliate-driven attacks by deploying zero-trust controls and behavioral detection systems. Rather than rely on static indicators, we analyze anomalies across traffic flows, file access, and identity behavior. That allows us to detect threats before damage begins, even when they come from new or previously unknown actors.
Healthcare’s shift to cloud platforms has accelerated. EHR systems, PACS archives, and patient-facing apps are now increasingly hosted off-site. However, this transformation has brought new risks. The cloud has become a new battleground for ransomware operators.
Attackers are now designing exploits that target cloud-native systems, including APIs, virtual machines, and backup tools. Traditional firewalls and perimeter tools do not protect this layer effectively.
To reduce exposure, OTAVA has built ransomware protection that aligns with cloud operations. That includes:
These tools let healthcare organizations innovate without adding risk. They also give IT teams the control they need when minutes matter.
The most aggressive types of ransomware are sophisticated, faster, more disruptive, and increasingly tailored to exploit the specific pressures of healthcare. Delays in care, loss of medical records, and interruptions to surgery scheduling are happening right now.
The answer is not more alerts or another stack of tools. What healthcare leaders need is a resilience strategy built on data protection and privacy. That starts with visibility, grows with automation, and succeeds with a clear plan for rapid recovery.
We help hospitals, health systems, and medical networks stay prepared. From real-time replication to threat isolation, our platform is designed to ensure continuity even when facing the worst-case scenarios. Whether you are rebuilding from a breach or hardening your defenses before one happens, we’re here to help.
Let’s talk. If you are ready to stop reacting and start anticipating, connect with our team today. We will help you build the right foundation to defend against the most aggressive types of ransomware and recover faster than they expect.
