ISLAMABAD: On World Health Day, a global cybersecurity company warned risks associated with the digitisation of healthcare and use of telemedicine during ongoing digital healthcare services provided by medical consultations.
According to a report of the company issued on Tuesday, recent incidents showed that medical services can be breached, and as a result, medical records may be leaked and then traded on the dark web. The operations of healthcare services can get disrupted. Another aspect is that healthcare platforms may share user data with third parties that handle it irresponsibly.
Telemedicine has moved from a convenience to a core part of healthcare delivery, but its security model has not kept pace with its adoption, and the risks are not theoretical. Recent incidents highlight how real these risks have become.
More broadly, incidents in 2025 illustrate a different but equally critical risk – large-scale disruption of digital healthcare infrastructure. The breach of the Manage My Health patient portal exposed sensitive medical records of more than 120,000 patients, while the attack on SimonMed Imaging compromised over a million records and led to ransomware demands. These cases show that both telemedicine platforms and the broader digital healthcare ecosystems are increasingly targeted by attackers.
In parallel, scam campaigns focusing on medical topics are evolving, inviting patients for check-ups or follow-up consultations. Often the domains of the alleged “medical services” websites were created and these pages request users’ personal information, including photos of documents and even photos of parts of the body that need medical attention. Such websites often try to convince users with branding, fake doctor profiles, and urgent calls to action. Users risk submitting sensitive personal data that can be either sold on the dark web, be used for identity theft, or subsequently used in more sophisticated attacks in the future that are targeted specifically at them for further data extortion. To safeguard sensitive data, use a reliable security solution with an AI-powered anti-phishing component which prevents clicking on malicious links.
To stay safe, Kaspersky recommends people to treat any promo offers for medical consultations with skepticism, especially if they create urgency or request sensitive information upfront. Rely only on official websites and apps when booking appointments. Verify healthcare providers, avoid accessing random healthcare services through links received via email or messaging apps and use a trusted security solution on your device to alert you of scams.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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