Medical Device Security: Now Is the Time | DigiCert.com>
– Dr Avesta Hojjati
On the black market, [medical records can be sold for up to 20x more](http://cyberattacksquad.com/healthcare-data-becoming-one-of-the-prime-targets-of-cyber-hackers-and-cyber-attacks/) than credit card information.Unsecured medical devices, like MRI and x-ray machines, heart monitors, ultrasounds, infusion pumps, and others, pose a security risk to patients, providers, and hospital administrators.These devices are becoming more prevalent in homes and there will be an estimated [1.8 million people using a wireless, remote-monitoring device by 2017](http://www.computerworld.com/article/2494451/healthcare-it/in-home-health-monitoring-to-leap-six-fold-by-2017.html).One of the main concerns is the fact that some wireless infusion pumps cannot be scanned by traditional IT security tools, and many lack features for streamlined software upgrades, the National Institute of Standards and Technology [said in a report](https://nccoe.nist.gov/sites/default/files/nccoe/NCCOE_HIT-Medical-Device-Use-Case.pdf).Recently, [security researcher Jeremy Richards said](https://securityledger.com/2015/05/researcher-drug-pump-the-least-secure-ip-device-ive-ever-seen/) a certain brand of drug pumps was the least secure IP device he had ever seen.As Deloitte points out in a [recent article](http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/risk/us-risk-networked-medical-device-11102014.pdf), “[Networked medical devices] have the potential to play a transformational role in healthcare but also may be a vehicle that exposes patients and healthcare organizations to safety and security risks.” Manufacturers and healthcare organizations can no longer procrastinate security.
Link: https://www.digicert.com/blog/medical-device-security-now-is-the-time