Research
Healthcare Sees No Relief from Cyberattacks Disrupting Patient Care | Proofpoint US
First reported · Discovered proofpoint.com
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Earliest dated coverage: 28 Oct 2026 · First observed: 29 Oct 2026 · Latest dated coverage: 28 Oct 2026
Coverage timeline
Single-source research — one report is available.
Why it matters
Healthcare AI agents’ access to sensitive patient data makes gaps in data-use controls, guardrails, and visibility a concrete priority for defenders.
Proofpoint and Ponemon Institute’s 2026 survey of 705 U.S. healthcare IT and security practitioners found that 24% cited AI agents operating without guardrails as a leading cause of data loss. The study also found that 60% of organizations lacked controls governing sensitive data used in AI systems, with AI-vendor supply-chain risks and prompt-based data leakage among respondents’ leading concerns.