Data Driven Exploration of Healthcare Data Breaches Using Visual Analytics for Identifying Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Patient Information Security

Data Driven Exploration of Healthcare Data Breaches Using Visual Analytics for Identifying Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Patient Information Security | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Method Article Data Driven Exploration of Healthcare Data Breaches Using Visual Analytics for Identifying Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Patient Information Security Touseef Iqbal, Niyaz Ahmad Wani This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820006/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In recent years, cyberattacks on businesses across healthcare, finance, and industrial sectors have risen sharply. Thehealthcare industry, in particular, has become a major target due to weak security, outdated practices and the high valueof sensitive data such as medical records and login credentials. This study examines the prevalence and features of databreaches in healthcare provider environments, with an emphasis on patient data. The research employs visual analytics andadvanced data visualization tools to explore patterns and trends in healthcare data breaches, enabling a clear understandingof how breaches are distributed across states and the healthcare ecosystem. By examining the geographic distribution ofbreaches, the study identifies not only which states experience the highest number of breaches but also which regions exhibitthe highest breaches per capita, highlighting areas of disproportionate risk. The study also categorizes breaches by typeand cause, including Hacking/IT Incidents, Unauthorized Access/Disclosure, Theft, Loss, and Improper Disposal. Amongthese, Hacking/IT Incidents are the most prevalent, affecting the largest number of individuals. In addition, breaches mostfrequently occur in network servers, followed by other critical locations such as email systems, electronic health records (EHRs),and portable devices. This indicates that centralized digital infrastructure is the primary target of cyberattacks, while otherareas remain vulnerable due to human error or physical security weaknesses. Despite these recommendations, the resultsindicate a continuing upward trend in the probability of data breaches, driven by increasing digitalization of healthcare data,growing sophistication of cyberattacks, and expanding healthcare networks. The results underscore the need for ongoingvigilance, investment in cybersecurity infrastructure, and adaptive strategies to protect patient data while maintaining operational continuity. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7820006","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Method Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":535744721,"identity":"c6d79dbc-0a55-4445-858f-521766a7758f","order_by":0,"name":"Touseef Iqbal","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABIElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPACOQY2Bh4GhgcVzIwNCFFkNgLwQChjiJaEM6RoATMT25ixK0MG9uw9xh8+VBgw8LHnHvyQOM9adjsDj9mDD38Y5PkbmNseYLOF54yZ5IwzBgxsPO+SJRK3pRvvbOAxN5zZxmA44wBjuwE2LRI5Zsy8bX8Y2CRyDIBaDiduOMBjJs3bwMC4gYGxTQK7FuPPf/8ZgLQY/0icA9Xy5w+DPR4tBtKMDWAtZhKJDVAtwABMxKnlzLEyyZ5jBjxAv6RZJBxLN95wmK3csLdNInnGYexa2NubN3/4UWMgJ9+ee/jGhxpr2Q3Hm7c9+PHHxra/vf0ZNi1w24DxCGUyA13FwCABYhACCXAWG0G1o2AUjIJRMKIAAJRdW/brCOR5AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"University of Petroleum and Energy Studies","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Touseef","middleName":"","lastName":"Iqbal","suffix":""},{"id":535744722,"identity":"451a2c38-37c9-4e40-9fa3-60ff983271cb","order_by":1,"name":"Niyaz Ahmad Wani","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Manipal Academy of Higher Education","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Niyaz","middleName":"Ahmad","lastName":"Wani","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-09 17:23:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820006/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820006/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":95000924,"identity":"7b5ab5df-3459-4fa3-bb59-dadbf40fb16c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:49","extension":"json","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4961,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"cb91772d464d488aa27c7dba511b8768.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/c6506b8e8adde79c8d2acf21.json"},{"id":95000041,"identity":"908b897f-3b6d-4190-9a84-c74e5abddd92","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":50985,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Capita.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/8d4f0ce5d36572eeb88aace2.jpg"},{"id":95000039,"identity":"9e8abcf4-9b30-4b5a-ae3a-57fe330d8545","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":106739,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"DataSet.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/6df30de589f0a35db48b57c5.jpg"},{"id":95000807,"identity":"29e1727a-aef5-44cc-8725-7e7ed1057229","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":148857,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"H111.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/828ff6e14f80b3a0a129eeee.pdf"},{"id":95000046,"identity":"853b7f95-0bbf-4a92-b5c8-566e20a085e8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":143002,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Hacking.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/53a66b001e1146a33e2a0cba.pdf"},{"id":95000892,"identity":"253d6c35-0a75-45b6-9cfe-4a36a469af76","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:39","extension":"pdf","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":1580765,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"HealthCarePaper1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/99946a46e25ec7ada4a98c9e.pdf"},{"id":95000546,"identity":"4d800e25-285d-4e4a-8262-5f69b1feffb2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:59:13","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":104263,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"HeatMap.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/7777c7ed6d0c7f7a033938f2.png"},{"id":95000542,"identity":"23bfe9a8-bf9a-4bde-a912-5fc7e36f59c2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:59:11","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":20757,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Last12.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/503818d694673fde2253e0eb.png"},{"id":95000055,"identity":"fbd2d5ec-78b8-4d77-bc30-d717c1078208","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":58314,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Last2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/271b4b4fc4f3a478cd53e5fb.pdf"},{"id":95000060,"identity":"52da63c8-ef1a-403e-8df7-922488b97945","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":846923,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Map.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/6487e64ab278641b61ce2a7f.png"},{"id":95000767,"identity":"fe4f12e2-358f-4967-8454-ada4a84abc8b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:12","extension":"pdf","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":43856,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"New1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/27dee865ac177d3fa45c81d4.pdf"},{"id":95000042,"identity":"112b0175-568a-4a6a-bac7-17ee9a20d1da","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":42052,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"New2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/ff9417f2d588561acb697bb6.png"},{"id":95000043,"identity":"23afd7a1-cacb-49cf-b38e-5fb2821cc9ef","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"png","order_by":12,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":48452,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"New3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/3a1bc8733746e7ab1931fedc.png"},{"id":95000049,"identity":"777347ae-7b91-453f-8318-581d4f0e73e8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"png","order_by":13,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":45033,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Pic1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/1da8b4ad5b246de060c0aab0.png"},{"id":95000053,"identity":"dbec6c77-dbde-4b5d-8c2f-18b8954faaf7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"png","order_by":14,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":43222,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Pic2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/ead499286b3346030ea1b487.png"},{"id":95000845,"identity":"66cef968-46ce-4561-a655-ef676445180c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:29","extension":"png","order_by":15,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":49687,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Pic3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/23073777832b32284e58efe5.png"},{"id":95000778,"identity":"1abce720-e982-4ecf-9481-2ab13d3b11c9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:13","extension":"png","order_by":16,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":9642,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"R11.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/d7a5dc90bc24ec09bfbe54c6.png"},{"id":95000779,"identity":"8d8dd17d-f3d2-4555-8cfb-9b6ce9463caf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:13","extension":"png","order_by":17,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":28462,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"R22.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/a02788f07cc15806eb6c839c.png"},{"id":95000857,"identity":"f4e81163-d88e-488e-9ac6-67ee1debbc4e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:31","extension":"png","order_by":18,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":59156,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Replace.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/46431d544ec2099a7bd0210f.png"},{"id":95000873,"identity":"0be4c889-25e6-4766-9f6f-9e47e318115a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:34","extension":"png","order_by":19,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":43102,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Result1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/393a855cbeb2ce2287dc7ca7.png"},{"id":95000946,"identity":"04a3b99d-7b5e-4230-9823-c404001ae25d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:57","extension":"png","order_by":20,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":50782,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Result2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/d1140d641f6203f48e760876.png"},{"id":95000057,"identity":"0238f9c0-2853-4005-96ac-c7a5022b75e0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"jpg","order_by":21,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":30372,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Top10.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/82bd7b264209eadf3000a4bf.jpg"},{"id":95000810,"identity":"194fb786-869a-48f1-adc4-f70fb0a1c1f8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:21","extension":"pdf","order_by":22,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":336759,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"graph.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/17f8f151e6806ba1ffb7a778.pdf"},{"id":95000070,"identity":"79b65287-527f-4b02-825f-072b9f06273c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"ldf","order_by":23,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":49107,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"jabbrvltwaall.ldf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/afceb9fc8ac8c68d7cf5b7f1.ldf"},{"id":95000852,"identity":"fbe40827-646e-4534-af62-9f68619b0016","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:30","extension":"ldf","order_by":24,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":268657,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"jabbrvltwaen.ldf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/e0e870ef6324253f8df98939.ldf"},{"id":95000062,"identity":"f6c453f5-2f68-45b3-9492-2cbe2c0db6d5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"sty","order_by":25,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":15480,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"jabbrv.sty","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/9f2e7a177a29e0e0ae49f218.sty"},{"id":95000069,"identity":"078f5549-0e21-4780-af14-2c50bd3ae140","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":26,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":137463,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"location.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/382b1c70f05b65d19bb47502.pdf"},{"id":95000949,"identity":"2865e470-016e-4d95-9f6a-ba1619db8c86","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:58","extension":"bst","order_by":27,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":36153,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"naturemagdoi.bst","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/ebe2235fc9ba6cd2d7123ffc.bst"},{"id":95000064,"identity":"792a974a-d3c9-4ac9-8d72-70b2769ac90a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"png","order_by":28,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":51785,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"newplot.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/3d3f118bfee49d5b46458ad6.png"},{"id":95000067,"identity":"ec90ff47-b6c5-4aaa-8ade-babc3f695e72","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":29,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":42991,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"rrrrrrr.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/c8424fbbd2a6ef6a5ceb38fd.pdf"},{"id":95000071,"identity":"effb3885-4fb6-4611-b7d9-891ce053c0f4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:58","extension":"jpg","order_by":30,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":379752,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"stream.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/36670ef9715eaff51e13b763.jpg"},{"id":95000905,"identity":"0314e540-fe8f-4081-a5bb-7589aac426b8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 09:00:42","extension":"cls","order_by":31,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":5824,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"wlscirep.cls","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/55d7c0803cbf7439ce9791c9.cls"},{"id":95000066,"identity":"b699dbb9-ebf8-4ea8-ac5a-8cb07e41471f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-03 08:41:57","extension":"xml","order_by":32,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":83456,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"cb91772d464d488aa27c7dba511b87681structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1/ca50cb3bca3dbc056b36668f.xml"},{"id":100594701,"identity":"3fa75b0d-b49b-4ca5-8fba-f681ebc96026","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-19 13:44:02","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":705649,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"HealthCarePaper1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7820006/v1_covered_b789fb89-807d-4c82-9c99-7f99c7fbe3b1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eData Driven Exploration of Healthcare Data Breaches Using Visual Analytics for Identifying Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Patient Information Security\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820006/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820006/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn recent years, cyberattacks on businesses across healthcare, finance, and industrial sectors have risen sharply. Thehealthcare industry, in particular, has become a major target due to weak security, outdated practices and the high valueof sensitive data such as medical records and login credentials. This study examines the prevalence and features of databreaches in healthcare provider environments, with an emphasis on patient data. The research employs visual analytics andadvanced data visualization tools to explore patterns and trends in healthcare data breaches, enabling a clear understandingof how breaches are distributed across states and the healthcare ecosystem. By examining the geographic distribution ofbreaches, the study identifies not only which states experience the highest number of breaches but also which regions exhibitthe highest breaches per capita, highlighting areas of disproportionate risk. The study also categorizes breaches by typeand cause, including Hacking/IT Incidents, Unauthorized Access/Disclosure, Theft, Loss, and Improper Disposal. Amongthese, Hacking/IT Incidents are the most prevalent, affecting the largest number of individuals. In addition, breaches mostfrequently occur in network servers, followed by other critical locations such as email systems, electronic health records (EHRs),and portable devices. This indicates that centralized digital infrastructure is the primary target of cyberattacks, while otherareas remain vulnerable due to human error or physical security weaknesses. Despite these recommendations, the resultsindicate a continuing upward trend in the probability of data breaches, driven by increasing digitalization of healthcare data,growing sophistication of cyberattacks, and expanding healthcare networks. The results underscore the need for ongoingvigilance, investment in cybersecurity infrastructure, and adaptive strategies to protect patient data while maintaining operational continuity.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Data Driven Exploration of Healthcare Data Breaches Using Visual Analytics for Identifying Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Patient Information Security","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-03 08:41:52","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7820006/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"50841c71-e098-45e7-aa78-8c9e3888479f","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 3rd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-18T03:38:37+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-03 08:41:52","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7820006","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7820006","identity":"rs-7820006","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}