Technologies for maximum cybersecurity in medical technology

The modernization and networking of medical technology devices raises questions about cybersecurity. The increasing use of mobile devices has created vulnerabilities, exposing them to a growing number of cyberattacks. Various technological approaches can further improve the cybersecurity of medical devices.

Blockchains, widely known from the field of cryptocurrencies, enable secure and transparent data exchange. Since the data is not stored centrally but distributed across multiple computers, unauthorized third parties cannot access it.

Blockchain models have already been developed for the joint management of prescriptions (eBtM) by doctors' offices, pharmacies, and regulatory authorities. There are also potential applications for patient consent and sick notes. The company Oracle names drug authentication, patient records and accelerated authorizations as further use cases.

Zero Trust Security is an IT security framework in which no user, device or network is considered trustworthy. All users and devices must be authenticated continuously, regardless of location, to ensure that all data and devices are protected.

A report by the Zscaler ThreatLabz team shows that healthcare organizations are the second most vulnerable to ransomware attacks worldwide. Zscaler is a leading provider in the field of Zero Trust and also uses the world's largest security cloud for services in the healthcare sector.

The gateway for attacks is often remote access to medical devices by third parties for maintenance purposes. The increasing number of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and IT devices and their mobile use make it even more difficult to monitor data flows.

Companies such as D.med Software support medical device manufacturers in avoiding risks and vulnerabilities during development and after market launch. AI-driven anomaly detection is considered the most effective defense mechanism against cyberattacks. In addition to identifying and analyzing potential threats to medical devices, risk management also includes gap analysis, vulnerability management and the development of security controls. Mechatronic also offers monitoring, analysis and updating of security protocols.

To ensure that medical data remains protected and confidential, it must be encrypted at all levels. Only end-to-end encryption ensures that data can only be decrypted by the sender and receiver during transmission. Even when stored, encrypted data remains secure, preventing unauthorized access even if third parties gain physical possession of the storage medium.

According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), health and patient data must be protected by encryption or anonymization during transmission. Secure transmission protocols such as HTTPS or a virtual private network (VPN) are another prerequisite for cybersecurity.

Cloud technology enables virtual storage accessible from multiple devices over the internet, independent of location. Data can be stored here, as well as servers for software and apps, such as those used for telemedicine services and video consultations. Service providers such as TeamDrive provide the technology with a private cloud that is not publicly accessible.

For example, only medical professionals, hospitals or health insurance companies can access electronic patient files. Individual user rights are also possible for users in the healthcare sector. In addition to a cloud service, Cloudflight also offers data and AI services, while Ditabis handles server programming and configuration for the cloud connection.

In the third quarter of 2022 alone, at least one in 42 companies in the healthcare sector was affected by ransomware attacks. Customized software solutions can protect medical devices such as heart monitors from cyberattacks.

Experts from Globalsign, a leading company in digital identity solutions, have identified drug infusion pumps, pacemakers, and wearables as particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. The more intelligent and connected the IoMT becomes, the more vulnerable it is to cyberthreats.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is playing an increasingly important role in protecting sensitive medical IT systems from misuse. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), an asymmetric encryption technology, is considered one of the most secure authentication methods. It is based on a public and a private key. Identity access management (IAM) guarantees that computers and medical devices can no longer be operated without logging in.

Cybersecurity: modernized and networked

As the networking of medical devices and healthcare facilities expands, so do cybersecurity risks. The increasing threat landscape can be countered with robust software development, advanced security technologies, and continuous monitoring and updates.