Medical device cybersecurity is a global healthcare concern.
Cyberattacks can shut things down in any industry. But with healthcare a shutdown can be a matter of life or death. Equipment malfunctions can put patients at risk and theft of hospital and patient data could have repercussions for years.
Not only that but a medical device breach is the ideal medium for nefarious blackmailing schemes in the digital era. If hackers are able to control systems that impact patient outcomes, they have tremendous leverage for their ransom demands.
The Internet of Things (IoT) massive connectivity movement fueled by 5G architecture is creating incredible advances in the medical field such as remote surgery, telehealth and remote home monitoring systems and wearable technology.
But in the risk ledger, the increased portals of opportunity brought about by massive connectivity has put everyone in the healthcare industry on alert.
The raw truth is that threats and vulnerabilities cannot be totally eliminated, which makes reducing cybersecurity risks of medical devices especially challenging. Cybersecurity professionals generally agree that manufacturers, hospitals, and facilities must work together to manage cybersecurity risks due to the complexities of the healthcare environment.
Medical Device Cybersecurity Checklist
Experts in this field believe it’s essential that medical device manufacturers (MDMs) and healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
This includes:
- Medical device manufacturers (MDMs) need to be responsible for remaining vigilant about identifying risks and hazards associated with their medical devices, including risks related to cybersecurity.
- Healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) should evaluate their network security and protect their hospital systems.
- Both MDMs and HDOs need to be responsible for putting appropriate mitigations in place to address patient safety risks and ensure proper device performance.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Medical Device Cybersecurity, a 2-day workshop where participants learn about key concepts, techniques, tools, risk assessment and management and strategies for integrating cybersecurity mitigation and measures into medical devices and products.