Why is healthcare a hotspot for cybercriminals?

• Introduction
• All you need to know about medical device cyber security threats
• How significant is cyber security’s danger to medical devices?
• Sensor-driven technology and wireless technologies
• Internet-based patient monitoring
• Medical device regulation
• The population is getting older
• AI and machine learning-based medical devices

Introduction

At the moment, hackers are concentrating their efforts on medical devices. Some of the causes for this are listed below, as well as what medical device companies may do to protect themselves and their patients.

Medical device companies should boost their game and think about cyber security when making strategic decisions. Why? Because as medical devices become smarter and more linked, cyber security issues become more complex and difficult to resolve.

These threats jeopardise patient lives and public health by jeopardising the efficacy and safety of medical equipment, in addition to fraud and identity theft. They’re also bad news for medical device manufacturers (MDMs), as they can harm their finances and image.

All you need to know about medical device cyber security threats.

What you can do if they bother you, and what you can do if they bother you. Among the subjects covered are medical sensors and wireless, regulatory compliance, remote patient monitoring, wearables, aging, AI and ML-enabled devices, and legacy technologies.

How significant is cyber security’s danger to medical devices?

Data breaches and ransomware attacks are the most common cyber security problems in the healthcare industry. These kinds of security breaches are becoming more widespread. Exaggerated ransom demands, damages, fines, and legal fees, as well as downtime and restoration costs, are raising the financial stakes. Consider the following examples to put this in context:

• Between 2015 and 2019, the healthcare business was responsible for 1,587 data breaches, accounting for 76.5 percent of all data breaches, according to the nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
• Healthcare also came out on top in terms of the average cost of data breaches in 2020, with $7.13 million, beating out the energy, banking, pharmaceutical, and technology industries. The global average over the same period was $3.86 million.
• Between 2018 and 2019, there were six high-profile security breaches involving MDMs. Each event cost anywhere from $1.8 million to over $1 billion in damages, fines, legal fees, contract violations, and other expenses. That’s massive!

This bleak image of cyber security is driven by several related dangers, many of which are specific to medical equipment and its manufacturers.

Here’s how:

Sensor-driven technology and wireless technologies

Processing power, device shrinking, sensors, and wireless connectivity are all rapidly improving, ushering in a new era of smart, connected health gadgets.

By collecting a vast amount of sensitive patient data, these next-generation medical gadgets enable healthcare providers to provide faster diagnoses and better therapies. They’re also

The difficulty is that the same technologies and features that improve patient outcomes also make these devices more vulnerable to security breaches. This could jeopardise the device’s bringing health care into people’s homes, away from hospitals and doctors’ offices.

effectiveness and safety, as well as put patients’ health, safety, and privacy at risk.

Internet-based patient monitoring

RPM technology expands medical providers’ reach by providing a constant stream of real-time data that allows them to maintain contact with patients.

Medical device regulation

The massive amount of sensitive electronic private health information (ePHI) that today’s medical devices are capable of generating, receiving, storing, and transmitting.

The complex interconnection requires everything from the cloud – for real-time data transfer and processing – to a mash-up of professional and personal devices, as well as smartphone apps.

The population is getting older

Home-care medical devices, such as wearables, robots, and remote patient monitoring systems, are a suitable fit because of increased life expectancy and our growing desire to age at home.

Intelligent drug dispensers, for example, can help maintain a regular medication regimen. Wearable devices can monitor a variety of health indicators, as well as detect falls and send alerts.

AI and machine learning-based medical devices

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies that allow medical devices to learn from and act on real-world data could be beneficial. This involves a device’s ability to improve and evolve on its own.

The most important takeaways

• As people become more reliant on medical gadgets, the need for their availability and integrity, as well as the services that go with them, is increasing.
• Simultaneously, growing data volumes are posing more complicated secrecy concerns. Medical devices are a prime target for ransomware attacks because of both of these criteria. However, medical device manufacturers are ignoring these and other cyber security threats.
• MDMs must reconsider their strategy and incorporate cyber security testing into their current development process. The most effective method is to:
• Assess critical risks and create a comprehensive plan that includes people, processes, and technology.
• Incorporate a risk-based strategy into your current development environments and processes.
• Ensure that interconnected frameworks are kept up to date.