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How True Randomness Can Help Prevent Healthcare Data Breaches

Healthcare Security

Healthcare data breaches have surged, with 2024 seeing 276 million records exposed, a 64.1% increase from 2023, according to HIPAA Journal. These breaches, like the massive Change Healthcare cyberattack, compromise sensitive healthcare data and disrupt patient care. 

Weak cryptographic practices, particularly poor random number generation, often enable these attacks. Real Random’s True Random Number Generators (TRNGs) and Entropy-as-a-Service (EaaS) provide HIPAA compliance encryption and TRNG in healthcare solutions to secure healthcare data against such threats. 

By delivering high-quality entropy, our technology strengthens authentication, encryption, and compliance, preventing avoidable breaches that endanger patients and providers.

The Growing Threat to Healthcare Data

The healthcare sector is a prime target for cybercriminals due to the value of healthcare data on the black market. In 2024, 734 large breaches were reported to the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), with 14 incidents exposing over 1 million records each. Common vulnerabilities include:

  • Weak Authentication: Compromised credentials, as seen in the Change Healthcare attack, allow hackers to infiltrate systems.
  • Inadequate Encryption: Poor key generation undermines data protection, exposing patient records.
  • Third-Party Risks: Business associates, like those in the HealthEquity breach, often lack robust security.
  • Ransomware Surge: Hacking incidents, including ransomware, accounted for 77% of breaches in May 2025.

These vulnerabilities highlight the need for HIPAA compliance encryption to safeguard healthcare data. Weak entropy in cryptographic systems exacerbates risks, as predictable keys are easily cracked. For a deeper understanding, see our blog Why True Random Number Generation Matters in the Post-Quantum Era.

Real-Life Examples of Healthcare Data Breaches

Recent breaches underscore the urgency of robust cryptographic solutions. Here are three examples from 2024-2025, with insights on how Real Random’s TRNG in healthcare could have helped:

1. Change Healthcare (2024): 190 Million Records Breached

  • Details: A ransomware attack by the BlackCat/ALPHV group exploited compromised credentials on a Citrix portal lacking multifactor authentication (MFA), exfiltrating 190 million records—69% of 2024’s total breached records. The attack disrupted healthcare services, delaying prescriptions and payments.
  • Vulnerability: Weak authentication and lack of MFA enabled unauthorized access. Predictable keys from pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) likely weakened encryption.
  • How Real Random Could Help: Our TRNGs provide high-entropy keys for HIPAA compliance encryption, ensuring robust MFA and encryption for portals like Citrix. EaaS delivers real-time entropy to secure distributed systems, preventing credential-based breaches.

2. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (2024): 13.4 Million Records Exposed

  • Details: Kaiser’s use of tracking technologies like pixels sent healthcare data (e.g., IP addresses, search terms) to third parties like Google and Meta, violating HIPAA rules. An internal investigation revealed the issue, with minimal patient impact but significant compliance risks.
  • Vulnerability: Lack of encryption for data transmitted to third parties and poor oversight of tracking tools.
  • How Real Random Could Help: Our EaaS platform ensures HIPAA compliance encryption by providing high-quality entropy for encrypting data before transmission. TRNGs secure tracking tools by generating unpredictable identifiers, reducing unauthorized disclosures.

3. Episource (2025): 5.4 Million Records Compromised

  • Details: A ransomware attack on Episource, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary, exposed healthcare data including Social Security numbers and medical records from January 27 to February 6, 2025. The breach targeted third-party vendor systems, highlighting supply chain risks.
  • Vulnerability: Weak encryption and insufficient entropy in vendor systems allowed data exfiltration.
  • How Real Random Could Help: TRNG in healthcare ensures quantum-resistant encryption for vendor systems, generating unbreakable keys. EaaS integrates seamlessly with third-party platforms, delivering entropy to secure data at rest and in transit, mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities.

Why Entropy Matters for HIPAA Compliance Encryption

HIPAA compliance encryption requires robust cryptographic keys to protect healthcare data under HIPAA’s Security Rule (45 CFR § 164.308). Weak entropy from PRNGs produces predictable keys, vulnerable to classical and quantum attacks. The looming “Y2Q” (Years to Quantum) threat, where quantum computers could break traditional encryption, makes high-quality entropy critical. Real Random’s TRNG in healthcare addresses this by:

  • Ensuring Unpredictability: Brownian motion-based TRNGs generate truly random keys, passing NIST SP 800-90B and AIS 31 tests.
  • Supporting Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC): High-entropy keys are essential for PQC algorithms like ML-KEM, as outlined in NIST’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Project NIST PQC.
  • Enabling Compliance: Our solutions align with HIPAA’s technical safeguards, ensuring encryption and authentication meet OCR standards.
  • Market Trends for True Random Number Generators: TRNG Market 2024-2034

For more on entropy’s role, see What Is Entropy-as-a-Service and Who Needs It?.

Real Random’s Solutions for Healthcare Data Security

Real Random’s TRNGs and EaaS platform address the entropy bottleneck, enhancing HIPAA compliance encryption and protecting healthcare data. Our solutions include:

1. Tamper-Evident TRNG Hardware

  • Features: Uses Brownian motion for verifiable entropy, ideal for edge devices like medical implants or telehealth systems.
  • Benefits: Ensures secure authentication and encryption in resource-constrained environments, preventing breaches like Change Healthcare’s.
  • Healthcare Application: Secures IoT devices in hospitals, ensuring patient data privacy.

2. Entropy-as-a-Service (EaaS)

  • Features: Delivers high-quality entropy via secure REST APIs with sub-10ms latency, scalable for large healthcare networks.
  • Benefits: Supports real-time encryption for EHR systems and third-party integrations, addressing Kaiser’s tracking issues.
  • Healthcare Application: Protects telehealth platforms and vendor systems, reducing supply chain risks like Episource’s.

3. Quantum-Resistant Keyless Encryption

  • Features: Generates one-time pads from small entropy tables using patented technology. View our patent here.
  • Benefits: Provides unbreakable encryption for low-power devices, ensuring HIPAA compliance encryption against quantum threats.
  • Healthcare Application: Secures wearable devices and patient portals, preventing data exfiltration.

How to Implement TRNG and EaaS in Healthcare

To leverage TRNG in healthcare for HIPAA compliance encryption, follow these steps:

  1. Assess Cryptographic Needs: Identify systems requiring encryption (e.g., EHRs, IoT devices) and assess entropy gaps.
  2. Deploy TRNG Hardware: Install tamper-evident TRNGs at edge locations for low-latency key generation.
  3. Integrate EaaS: Use Real Random’s APIs to deliver entropy to authentication and encryption protocols, ensuring compliance.
  4. Monitor Compliance: Regularly audit encryption practices to meet HIPAA standards, using our compliance-ready tools.

Conclusion

Healthcare data breaches, like those at Change Healthcare, Kaiser, and Episource, expose the critical need for HIPAA compliance encryption. 

Real Random’s TRNG in healthcare and EaaS solutions deliver high-quality entropy to secure healthcare data, preventing breaches and ensuring compliance. 

Don’t let weak entropy compromise patient trust—contact Real Random at for a consultation.