Dec 12
2024
Medical Devices are Attacked Every 20 Seconds: Here Is How to Protect Them
By Daniel Trivellato, vice president of healthcare and cyber risk solutions, Forescout.
A recent honeypot study revealed that every 20 seconds, somewhere in the world, a cybercriminal targets a medical imaging device. In the time it takes to check a patient’s vital signs, multiple attackers may be actively trying to breach the very systems designed to provide vital healthcare information and keep us alive.
While connected devices have become increasingly prevalent in healthcare, many healthcare organizations fail to adequately protect them. Recent research examining over 2 million devices across 45 healthcare organizations revealed that approximately half of all devices in healthcare networks are now Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), Internet of Things (IoT), operational technology (OT) or building automation devices. These are more than simply administrative systems, these devices play a direct role in influencing patient outcomes, including patient monitors, infusion pumps, and imaging systems.
Of the 306 medical device vendors observed, the research finds that medical devices are running on 110 different operating systems, making the complexity of securing these networks truly staggering.
While household names like Philips, GE Healthcare, and Baxter are major players in the space, these organizations only represent 40% of the vendor landscape. The remaining 60% is a fragmented maze of smaller providers, each with its own potential vulnerabilities.
Perhaps most alarming is the dramatic rise in exposed Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) servers. Between August 2022 and May 2024, we’ve seen a 27.5% increase in exposed servers, with the majority of exposed devices located in the United States, India, Germany, Brazil, Iran, and China. Across all IoMT devices, our research uncovered 162 vulnerabilities, with half of the most critical flaws found in Windows-based systems.
Recent breaches have had real-world impact on both health systems and patients. In 2023, healthcare organizations experienced an average of 1.6 data breaches per day, with each incident affecting approximately 200,000 patients. This isn’t just about compromised data – it’s about real people whose private medical information is at stake.
When personal medical device data is stolen, patients can face serious personal risks, including identity theft, insurance fraud, and emotional distress. Many cybercriminals leverage stolen medical records to create sophisticated phishing schemes, impersonate patients to obtain prescription medications, or even blackmail individuals with sensitive health information. Patients may also experience emotional distress following a breach of personal information, feeling vulnerable knowing their most intimate health details have been exposed.