New Report Warns of Healthcare Cybersecurity Crisis in Canada

The Canadian Cybersecurity Network (CCN) today released its Pulse Check – National Cybersecurity in Healthcare Report at INCYBER Forum in Montreal. The report issues a stark warning: cyberattacks targeting Canada’s healthcare system are accelerating, threatening care delivery, patient trust, and the resilience of Canada’s most critical sector.

Patients nationwide are already feeling the effects of rising cyberattacks and ransomware incidents. From surgeries in Ontario abruptly cancelled, to Toronto’s SickKids Hospital facing delays in vital treatment, to Newfoundland and Labrador’s province-wide breach costing $16 million and delaying thousands of procedures, these aren’t isolated events, but signs of a growing national crisis. With a single click, a cyberattack can cancel a surgery, derail critical treatment plans, and put lives at risk. Globally, the threat is just as severe, with healthcare systems in the U.S. and U.K. suffering mass breaches and service shutdowns.

5 Key Findings of the Report

  • Embed cybersecurity into every digital health initiative — from conception to deployment.
  • Invest in people by building cybersecurity capacity across clinicians, administrators, and IT teams.
  • Prioritize awareness through national, human-centered cybersecurity training for all healthcare workers.
  • Adopt secure-by-design funding models that reward resilience, not just connectivity.
  • Share threat intelligence nationally so every breach teaches, and no hospital stands alone.

The message is clear: healthcare cybersecurity is a matter of patient safety, public confidence, and national resilience. The report calls for immediate investment in staff awareness and training, stronger leadership engagement, and more resilient systems to ensure Canada’s healthcare can withstand the rising tide of cyber threats and protect continuity of care.

Download The Pulse Check – National Cybersecurity in Healthcare Report for free here

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