Apart from the numerous benefits, the adoption of healthcare IoT involves many security risks that medical organizations should be aware of. Data theft, equipment hijacks, and direct threats to the patients’ health and well-being are the frequent concerns of healthcare organizations willing to embrace the Internet of Things technology.
In this article, we will talk about the potential threats to IoT security, and dwell on the best practices for overcoming them.
Risks in Healthcare IoT Security
In recent years, the vulnerabilities in healthcare IoT became subject to many public discussions. Since 2016 and 2018, the FDA requires the manufactures of medical devices to build security into their systems. The attacks, however, are getting more sophisticated: in 2017, WannaCry ransomware disrupted the operations in many healthcare establishments by blocking personnel from accessing medical equipment. The next surge of IoT attacks took place in 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak, with medical devices becoming the most frequent targets of intruders.
In a nutshell, the IoT security risks may be subdivided into three categories:
1. IT risks: i.e. risks to organizations’ IT infrastructures and systems;
2. Data security risks: risks to healthcare data privacy and integrity;
3. Risks to patients’ safety: although, no direct harm to patients’ wellbeing as a result of an attack has been reported yet, such possibility exists, and cannot be ruled out completely.
By taking control of medical devices, or interfering with their functionality, perpetrators may intentionally or unintentionally jeopardize patients’ safety. For example, messing up a patient’s vital metrics may result in doctors prescribing wrong medication dosages, which may lead to fatal consequences.
More specifically, the current IoT healthcare threats include:
Unauthorized access
Most of the IoT devices and software use public cloud infrastructures, which are, multi-tenant environments. This means specific protection measures should be used to prevent other unauthorized users from accessing data of other tenants, intentionally, or by mistake.
DDoS attack
Distributed denial of service (DDoS) is what happens when a target gets overwhelmed by the heavy flow of Internet traffic. DDoS attacks result in the disruption of operations, rendering medical services unavailable.
Device hijack
Also known as medjacking, device hijack refers to taking control of medical devices either in order to get hold of patient’s data or to infect them with malware. In a worst-case scenario, it can be used to directly harm patients.
Disclosure of Personal Health Information (PHI)
Usually, PHI may only be accessible to medical personnel directly involved in the patient’s treatment or to the patient’s primary caregivers. As a result of an intrusion, this data may get copied, modified, or corrupted by perpetrators.
Privacy violations
Sensitive patients’ data such as demographic information, credit card, and social security numbers are highly valued by criminals. A loophole in IoT security may act as a doorway inviting them in.
Data ownership disputes
Who owns IoT data is still a matter of many disputes. Although users may automatically assume that the data they collect using consumer wearables belongs to them, in reality, its ownership may depend on the legislation of the country or state. The same applies to user location data; most users will want to keep it private, while in reality it often gets revealed to third parties.
As you can see, healthcare IoT security still has many issues. Over the years, however, companies have developed best practices for safeguarding patients’ data and ensuring the security of medical IoT.
Best Security Practices for Embedded Healthcare
Rather than dealing with the financial and reputational implications of an IoT breach, it’s best to take preventive measures to strengthen organizational security systems. Below is an overview of best practices that healthcare companies apply to secure their devices, medical equipment, and software from intrusions.
Network segmentation
Network segmentation is a technique applied to ensure network security. An administrator splits an organization’s network into several subnets and sets rules for each one of them in order to facilitate the control of traffic that flows through the network.
AI-driven security systems
The attacks are getting more sophisticated, and traditional firewalls and antiviral software are no longer coping with an increasing number of threats. Legacy cybersecurity tools are capable of eliminating only known threats, while the novel AI-driven solutions are context-aware. Such tools track non-typical activity and detect changes in user behavior patterns, which helps them stay on the alert and prevent security breaches.
IoT aggregation hubs
To help track and control your IoT devices, IoT aggregation hubs unite them in a separate network. This facilitates their management, control of traffic and settings, and helps safeguard them from the attacks of perpetrators.
Inventory tracking systems
Keeping track of the devices on your network may also be a tricky task: some of them may belong to visitors and patients. Using inventory software will help you detect the devices on your network, schedule maintenance, and updates, and diagnose security issues.
Hardware protection
On a hardware level, each medical device is potentially vulnerable: anyone could infect it by installing a malicious chip into the system. To protect their devices, companies make their device ports difficult to access and seal them with electronic digital signatures. Monitoring device behavior in real-time also helps detect suspicious activity.
EMI shielding
As the number of electronic devices increases, so does electromagnetic interference. EMI stands for ‘electromagnetic interference issue’, which we are now dealing with on a daily basis. By building a solid metal frame (shield) around a device, organizations may protect it from unwanted interference.
Data encryption
Data encryption is a must when it comes to secure IoT data transfer. Most of the embedded devices currently use asymmetric lightweight cryptography (LWCRYPT) techniques, and IoT sensors contain encryption keys for establishing protected channels between devices and end-users.
Authentication
The elaborate authentication procedure is also a must-have if you want to exclude data theft and hacker intrusions. Even if an access attempt comes from inside of your organization, complex authentication should be in place to ensure top-notch security. It also makes sense to introduce data access policies regulating who and in which circumstances has access to patients’ data.
Final Thoughts
If a healthcare security breach occurs, it may be difficult to decide who is to be held accountable: patients, cloud service providers, medical personnel, or, possibly, regulatory bodies neglecting the problem. One way or the other, taking preventive measures is always easier than dealing with the consequences of a malware attack, data theft, or intrusion.
At VARTEQ we are particularly focused on developing complex back-end systems for tracking, monitoring, and controlling devices, medical equipment, and wearables. Looking to build a secure IoT system for your healthcare organization? Get in touch with us now, and schedule a free consultation!