Manufacturers of medical devices continue to create innovative and increasingly interconnected devices.
Improved treatments and patient monitoring are a few features of these devices. However, there is no denying that along with enhancements and interconnectedness come security hazards associated with these devices.
Many medical devices use brand-new platforms and protocols that haven’t been fully tested for security flaws. Unsurprisingly, this leads to a large number of gadgets that are vulnerable to hacking. Additionally, negative news hurts healthcare and medical device manufacturers (MDMs) finances and reputation.
What Is OT Security?
OT security is the entire stack of hardware and software used to track, spot, and manage changes to devices, procedures, and events.
It is frequently used in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) like SCADA. ICS helps to manage the crucial infrastructure while defending systems from assault.
What is Medical Device Security?
Medical device security is the term for procedures and methods that can stop assaults on medical equipment. Medical equipment may be subject to attacks that entail illegal access, or disclosure of sensitive data they protect. Examples of medical devices are Remote digital blood monitors, pacemakers, defibrillators, etc.
7 Reasons Why Medical Devices Need OT Security
- Medical Devices Have a Basic and Non-Secured Configuration
Many manufacturers of medical devices often think their products are not hacker targets. Hence they do not prioritize security.
A medical device is often made in hundreds of millions of units with the same software and hardware configuration. This is unlike PCs, which may have varying software or hardware configuration. An assault that is effective on one of these devices can be carried out on the others.
OT security guidelines help to improve this default configuration. It does this by ensuring that additional security is installed on devices. For example, specialized networking hardware, such as industrial firewalls is a component of OT systems.
- Medical Devices Contain Valuable Data
Many medical gadgets maintain life, have a significant impact on patient care, or handle extremely sensitive data.
Large volumes of personal patient data are produced, maintained, and sent by healthcare companies. This makes their networks and associated devices attractive targets for ransomware attacks.
OT identity and access management can help reduce the risks of security breaches and ransomware. OT asset management can also help monitor these medical devices
OT asset management ensures that a list of key medical devices and their configurations are kept on file by the organization.
A variety of security products and services are typically offered by cybersecurity vendors. Industrial cybersecurity vendors can help provide an asset management system. The software component can help manage medical devices’ hardware and software components.
- Most Medical Devices Do Not Run Patch Management
Medical equipment is used for 10–20 years on average, which is far longer than a PC’s typical lifespan. Hence, most of these devices do not run security updates.
Upgrades to most medical equipment are also very difficult. Only the software that was first set up at the manufacturer will be used once they are deployed.
OT security ensures the use of patch management. Security patch management involves applying updates throughout a system to address vulnerabilities. A security patch involves adding code to systems, programs, or software to “patch” the vulnerability.
- Medical Devices Can Be Easily Hacked
Healthcare IT experts find it particularly difficult to maintain security. This is because of the enormous number of linked medical equipment. Many of these linked devices have different specifications and come from different manufacturers.
Medical devices include patient data, so they serve as easy access points for hackers to servers that contain a lot of confidential data.
OT security provides identity and access management. It ensures that medical device authentication must tie to the company’s authentication system. This, therefore, prevents hacking
Identity and access management also ensure that secure passwords are unique to each medical device. It also ensures that passwords are always changed from the defaults. Limit the number of login retries if at all possible.
- Remote Patient Monitoring and Wearable Medical Devices Open Doors to Attacks
Medical professionals’ reach has widened by remote patient monitoring (RPM) technology. RPM offers a constant stream of real-time data that enables ongoing communication with patients.
Continuous glucose monitors are an example of a typical RPM device. This device reminds diabetic patients to take their insulin. This enables their doctor to monitor their status.
Similar to RPMs, wearables with software and software as a medical device (SaMD) can be a target for cybercriminals. Cybercriminals can snoop on users’ personal information, disrupt networks, and tamper with communications.
The enormous amounts of RPM devices can pose a significant drawback. This is because they present cyber security vulnerabilities.
OT Security ensures endpoint protection for these devices. It ensures that the endpoints to which they are connected are secure.
Medical device makers are required to provide antivirus software to safeguard these endpoints. Endpoint protection also ensures that data from medical devices must be encrypted both in transit and at rest. There are also specialized OT vendor security solutions like endpoint detection and response (EDR).
- Medical Devices Have Legacy Technology
The risk of ransomware attacks is high for some older medical devices. For example, some medical devices still run Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. These windows operating systems are no longer supported by Microsoft. This makes them targets for cybercriminals attempting to breach large healthcare networks.
Pacemakers, and medication insulin pumps are some of the devices that might still be running legacy software. Theoretically, cybercriminals may reprogram these gadgets to interfere with a person’s heartbeat or insulin levels. All this can be potentially deadly. OT security can help secure this legacy software by:
- Constraining user access.
- Restricting network access.
- Put encryption into use.
- Network and endpoint monitoring.
- Frequent patching.
- Lack of Cyber Security Knowledge by Medical Devices Operators
Most medical device operators are not aware of OT cybersecurity employee best practices. Staff should be aware of the precautions they need to take every day to safeguard information.
Make sure your employee education covers phishing and social engineering attack recognition. Also, ensure it contains password security training and security best practices. Reminding staff that these best practices apply to mobile devices is equally crucial in the digital era.
Conclusion
Greater demands are being placed on the availability and integrity of medical equipment and the services that go along with them. These dangers go beyond fraud and identity theft to put patient lives and public health at risk.
Additionally, as data volumes rise, so do the complexity of concerns. Medical devices are a prime target for ransomware attacks due to both of these criteria. Manufacturers of medical devices should take these and other cyber security threats seriously and implement OT vulnerability management to minimize the risk of an attack.
