The Human Cost of Cyberattacks, with Critical Cyber's Pavlina Pavlova

Show notes

Hello to all our Cyber Stars!

This week, Selena is joined by senior threat researcher Tim Kromphardt and special guest Pavlina Pavlova, founder of Critical Cyber and a cybercrime and policy expert. Together they dig into the human side of cyberattacks and what happens to real people long after the systems come back online.

Pavlina explains why she founded Critical Cyber, an organization that documents how attacks on hospitals, schools, transportation, and other vital services affect the people who depend on them. She also shares why victims’ voices are missing from so many policy conversations and why she considers these unaddressed attacks a human rights crisis.

The team discusses who should be held accountable for preventable harm, how attacks on one hospital can ripple out to its neighbors, and what AI is changing in cybercrime and defense (for the patient missing a surgery, it doesn’t matter whether AI was involved).

Plus: Selena’s battle with a healthcare chatbot that wouldn’t let her book her vaccines.

In this episode:

How individual harm becomes a societal problem
The lasting impacts of attacks, from identity theft to psychological fallout
Why treating cyber incidents as individual failure misses the bigger picture
The normalization of ransomware attacks on hospitals
What policy can and can’t fix, including the UN cybercrime convention
What cybersecurity can learn from seatbelts and aviation safety
Why the resilience of victims gives Pavlina hope

Whether you’re a threat researcher, a policymaker, or someone who just wants your hospital to be open when you need it, the lesson is the same: cyberattacks aren’t just technical incidents, and their harm doesn’t end when the case closes. These attacks should never feel normal, and sharing the stories of those affected is a powerful step toward better support, accountability, and recovery.

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF-bTUuYC6I&t=614s

https://criticalcyber.org/

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/unm-health-ransomware-attack-disrupts-patient-care-surgeries/

https://cyberhealth.ucsd.edu/_files/ransomware_cyberattack_associated_with_cardiac.15.pdf

https://criticalcyber.org/thestories/three-hospitals

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/convention/home.html

For more information about Proofpoint, check out our website.

Subscribe & Follow:

Stay ahead of emerging threats, and subscribe! Happy hunting!

Chapters:

01:01 Why Pavlina Founded Critical Cyber
06:52 Building Community and Sharing Victims’ Stories
11:05 What Policymakers Miss About Cyber Harm
14:47 Moving Blame From Individuals to Systems
18:14 Cyberattacks as a Human Rights Crisis
20:07 The Normalization of Hospital Ransomware Attacks
25:20 How Attacks Ripple Out to Neighboring Hospitals
28:27 Holding People Accountable for Preventable Harm
32:17 Is Policy Focused on the Right Problems?
37:04 AI in Cybercrime, Defense, and Healthcare
44:30 Safety Lessons From Seatbelts and Aviation
48:06 What Gives Pavlina Hope

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Agent Dozier Would Like a Word (Word)

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Stars! This week, Selena is joined by senior threat researcher Tim Kromphardt and special guest Pavlina Pavlova, founder of Critical Cyber and a cybercrime and policy expert. Together they dig into the human side of cyberattacks and what happens to real people long after the systems come back online. Pavlina explains why she founded Critical Cyber, an organization that documents how attacks on hospitals, schools, transportation, and other vital services affect the people who depend on them. She also shares why victims’ voices are missing from so many policy conversations and why she considers these unaddressed attacks a human rights crisis. The team discusses who should be held accountable for preventable harm, how attacks on one hospital can ripple out to its neighbors, and what AI is changing in cybercrime and defense (for the patient missing a surgery, it doesn’t matter whether AI was involved). Plus: Selena’s battle with a healthcare chatbot that wouldn’t let her book her vaccines. In this episode: How individual harm becomes a societal problem The lasting impacts of attacks, from identity theft to psychological fallout Why treating cyber incidents as individual failure misses the bigger picture The normalization of ransomware attacks on hospitals What policy can and can’t fix, including the UN cybercrime convention What cybersecurity can learn from seatbelts and aviation safety Why the resilience of victims gives Pavlina hope Whether you’re a threat researcher, a policymaker, or someone who just wants your hospital to be open when you need it, the lesson is the same: cyberattacks aren’t just technical incidents, and their harm doesn’t end when the case closes. These attacks should never feel normal, and sharing the stories of those affected is a powerful step toward better support, accountability, and recovery. Resources Mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF-bTUuYC6I&t=614s https://criticalcyber.org/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/unm-health-ransomware-attack-disrupts-patient-care-surgeries/ https://cyberhealth.ucsd.edu/_files/ransomware_cyberattack_associated_with_cardiac.15.pdf https://criticalcyber.org/thestories/three-hospitals https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/convention/home.html For more information about Proofpoint, check out our website . Subscribe & Follow: Stay ahead of emerging threats, and subscribe! Happy hunting! Chapters: 01:01 Why Pavlina Founded Critical Cyber 06:52 Building Community and Sharing Victims’ Stories 11:05 What Policymakers Miss About Cyber Harm 14:47 Moving Blame From Individuals to Systems 18:14 Cyberattacks as a Human Rights Crisis 20:07 The Normalization of Hospital Ransomware Attacks 25:20 How Attacks Ripple Out to Neighboring Hospitals 28:27 Holding People Accountable for Preventable Harm 32:17 Is Policy Focused on the Right Problems? 37:04 AI in Cybercrime, Defense, and Healthcare 44:30 Safety Lessons From Seatbelts and Aviation 48:06 What Gives Pavlina Hope