Just two months into the year and 2015 has already been labeled "The Year of the Healthcare Hack" by cybersecurity experts and national media. But while a massive data breach has yet to target senior living, the industry — like its broader health care peers — is far from hack-proof.

It doesn't matter if a company operates five communities or more than 100 communities. A lack of industry-wide best practices, along with the growing sophistication of cyber threats in an increasingly digital world, puts a target on the back of any company that collects and stores sensitive data, cybersecurity experts agree.

The ever-present threat of a health care hacker attack manifested earlier this month when one of the nation's largest health insurers, Anthem, Inc. (NYSE: WLP) — formerly WellPoint, Inc. — fell victim to one of the biggest data breaches ever disclosed by a health care company.

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"It's hard to know what adequate security protection is," says Lisa Clark, a health care lawyer and partner at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia. "The industry standard for what the best protection is changes every day."

Clark, whose areas of specialization include cybersecurity and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, has responded to a number of data breaches from long-term care clients, mostly hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. In her more than 25 years of experience, Clark has seen firsthand the severity of consequences that result from data breaches in the health care sector.

One client, the name of whom Clark chose not to disclose, went into bankruptcy after falling victim to a breach that affected about 14,000 people across all 50 states.

"They just couldn’t pay for the clean up costs of the breach," Clark said.

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