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Healthcare CISOs have much more on their shoulders than they get credit for. In many ways, they aren’t just protecting data — they’re safeguarding lives.
Yet, CISOs are met with resistance when it comes to securing a budget from the board for offensive security measures. Convincing healthcare leadership requires strong arguments aligning security with strategic priorities.
Here’s how to advocate for offensive security and secure the funding you need for robust cybersecurity testing.
Why Healthcare Cybersecurity Requires a Proactive Approach
Hospitals, clinics, and medical offices aren’t treated like other businesses. To threat actors, they’re prime targets for cyber attacks. The value of patient data and the life-threatening consequences of clinical downtime make compliance alone not enough to ensure security.
The high stakes of healthcare cyberattacks
Every second of downtime, every breach, and every attack can potentially disrupt patient care and ultimately put lives at stake. Not to mention compromise sensitive health information.
Ransomware attacks are notorious for shutting down critical treatment systems and medical devices. If an attack disrupts surgery or emergency care, the patient outcomes could be catastrophic.
Private medical records are also a hot commodity on the dark web. Data breaches can expose sensitive patient information — leading to lawsuits, regulatory fines, and irreparable reputational damage to your brand.
The limits of compliance-based security strategy
As a CISO, you probably often hear, “We’re already compliant and don’t need to spend more on security.” But here’s the hard truth most boards don’t want to hear: Compliance isn’t enough. In fact, it’s not even close to enough.
HIPAA and other regulations set a (minimum) baseline for security guidance. And while they might provide a framework to build on, they’re more reactive than proactive. Most industry-standard guidelines are based on past threats, vulnerabilities, and IT infrastructure. They don’t account for the sophistication or evolution of modern cyberattacks.
What Is Offensive Security and Why Does It Matter?
A list of compliance requirements or current security programs might include basic defense measures. But what about when cyber adversaries’ tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) evolve?
That’s where offensive security steps in. It’s about constantly simulating real-world scenarios to identify and address vulnerabilities before a threat actor can exploit them — keeping you one step ahead of attackers.
Think of it as the preseason for your cybersecurity defenses. It’s something you can use to see where you’re weak and what your opponents (adversaries) are planning before actual competition.
Key components of offensive security
At CyberMaxx, we believe that to truly protect your healthcare organization, you must “think like an attacker to defend like a guardian.” This philosophy is part of our offensive fuels defense campaign.
And that’s what offensive security provides. It includes different practices for cybersecurity testing:
- Penetration testing: Simulating common attacks on healthcare businesses to uncover weaknesses in your clinical devices and IT systems.
- Red teaming: Mimicking advanced adversaries and TTPs to test your detection and response capabilities.
- Purple teaming: Combining red team with blue team exercises (defensive response) to find improvements for your security operations center (SOC).
How offensive security aligns with healthcare risk management
The healthcare industry, in particular, needs to strive for cyber resilience. There’s just too much at stake (lives, patient privacy, etc.)
Offensive security is a stepping stone to incident prevention. It’s a worthwhile investment that could save you millions in legal fees, liability, and trust-building PR campaigns.
Hence, it’s a critical component of a complete risk management program. When you can identify vulnerabilities and opportunities before an attacker, clinical data stays accessible, medical privacy is intact, and patient safety is ensured.
Overcoming Budget Challenges: Addressing Common Leadership Objections
Most healthcare boards view cybersecurity testing of any kind as a cost. Your job as a CISO is to flip the script. Present it as an investment to improve clinical uptime and avoid the costs of a devastating security breach. Also, be prepared to counter these common objections:
“We already spend enough on security.”
Respond with data. Highlight the rising costs of healthcare cyber incidents. Are they aware that the average total cost of a healthcare breach rose to $9.77 million in 2024 (the highest of any industry)? Or that $275 million health data records were compromised in 2024 (up from 168 million in 2023)?
Cyber threats aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and spending on offensive security is a fraction of the cost of recovery.
“We are compliant, so we are secure.”
Explain how compliance-only approaches are insufficient. As mentioned, HIPAA and other compliance demands are the best baseline. They are also relatively outdated and don’t account for nuanced TTPs and emerging threats.
Offensive security bridges that gap.
“It’s not a priority right now.”
Cybersecurity is a business problem with a financial impact. It’s far more expensive to recover from a breach than to stay proactive by investing in offensive security and penetration testing in healthcare.
And if a cyber attack impacts a patient’s health, how do you recoup that reputation and rebuild trust with the public?
If patients or your hospital’s image really are your priorities, then your cybersecurity should be, too.
Building a Business Case for Offensive Security Investment
Want to secure budget approval? Speak the language of business leaders. Here’s how to build a compelling case:
Present a cost-benefit analysis
Business leaders want to see that spending is justified and the operation gets the most value from its resources.
So, compare the cost of offensive security programs to the potential expenses of a breach. For example, consider the expenses from a cyber attack (clinical downtime, lawsuits, regulatory fines, lost patients, etc.).
A $50,000 investment for penetration testing in healthcare could save millions in breach-related costs.
Align security with business priorities
One of the biggest priorities of healthcare CEOs is clinical safety and putting patients first. So, show how offensive security supports patient care by keeping the essentials up and running.
When devices are down and clinicians can’t access data, patients can’t get the required treatments. When they can’t get treatment, you can’t bill for any services. When you can’t bill for services, you can’t collect revenue.
Offensive security doesn’t just protect your medical devices and data; it protects your revenue streams.
Use real-world attack simulations
If you want to be really bold, conduct your own penetration testing to uncover actual vulnerabilities and present the findings. How will they react to the news that an entire healthcare business is one phishing email (or other vector) away from a newsworthy cyber incident?
Nothing speaks louder than tangible results.
Steps to Secure Budget Approval for Offensive Security
You can speak their language. Now, let’s secure your budget. Here’s how to gain buy-in from executives and board members:
Gather risk data and threat intelligence
Industry-specific data on cyber attacks is enough to spook any business leader. Use it to illustrate the risks. Highlight the rise in ransomware attacks specifically targeting healthcare organizations. Present the attack, trends, and other threat data that clearly show why offensive security is a necessity.
Quantify the potential financial impact
We can’t emphasize this enough: It’s more expensive to recover from a breach than prevent one.
When assessing the financial impact of a cybersecurity incident, break down the costs. Consider the following factors:
- Incident response costs: Expenses for forensic investigations, containment efforts, and remediation.
- Regulatory fines: Potential penalties based on industry regulations and the size of your business.
- Legal fees: Costs associated with privacy lawsuits, settlements, and compliance issues.
- Lost revenue: Financial losses due to operational downtime and disrupted services.
- Brand damage: The long-term impact of lost customer trust and reputational decline.
Then, show them the one-time cost of an offensive security campaign. They’ll be amazed by the difference.
Tie security to patient safety
Security is a patient safety issue. Emphasize how proactive measures prevent life-threatening system failures. For example, what happens if a ransomware attack halts critical surgeries, disrupts emergency care, or delays scheduled medicines?
Start with a pilot program
You can always start small. Launch a small-scale offensive security campaign to demonstrate early value. For instance, you could conduct noninvasive pen-testing on a low-risk, low-used network and present your findings.
Validate with third-parties
Sometimes, it takes an outsider to drive home the message. Cite expert assessments or industry benchmarks. Is there a lot of red teaming and penetration testing amongst healthcare competitors?
You can also bring in cybersecurity partners like CyberMaxx to bolster your case. Our experts are always happy to help you obtain the resources you need to succeed.
Offensive Security is a Patient-First Strategy
Proactive security isn’t optional — it’s vital for patient safety.
Offensive security lets you stay ahead of adversaries and within compliance guardrails. Justify your budget by making the financial argument and showcasing how security supports all other strategic priorities.
Start building your case today. Your patients and your organization are counting on you!
