The massive hacking of Anthem is another example of cyber-criminals targeting the medical sector  in order to mine information to be sold at a high price on the black market.“What we’ve seen in the last few years is that attackers have realized the economics of healthcare data are very, very attractive,” says Lee Weiner, senior vice president at cybersecurity firm Rapid7, told The Washington Post.

And while, of course, all sectors are vulnerable, experts say that the healthcare sector lags behind the financial and retail sectors in cyber-protection — as ill-defended as they are. That this hacking can be perpetrated by so many individuals and groups around the world, include  such corrupt anti-American dictatorships  as  Vladimir Putin’s Russia, China and North Korea, makes the challenge hugely daunting.

Perhaps a big question is if and when consumers will push back at having to be forced to have so much of their personal data put on line — given the impossibility of total protection from hackers. Indeed, the problem can only get worse.