Medical device cybersecurity is more necessary than ever as healthcare facilities embrace the digital landscape. This transition exposes them to cybersecurity threats that can severely disrupt patient care. Healthcare facilities must establish a comprehensive plan and monitor their systems around the clock to avoid becoming victims of cyber incidents. This proactive approach is essential for mitigating risks that could expose patients’ personally identifiable information (PII) or personal health information (PHI) or cause downtime that interrupts care and potentially threatens patient safety. 
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Beyond the immediate impact on patient care, healthcare institutions must also recognize the potential for cybersecurity incidents to severely damage their reputation and lead to substantial fines and increased insurance premiums. Therefore, implementing a robust medical device cybersecurity protocol is imperative. By prioritizing awareness and preparation, healthcare institutions can ensure the continuity of care in today’s digital world, protecting patients' well-being first and their integrity second.
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Medical device cybersecurity is more necessary than ever as healthcare facilities embrace the digital landscape. This transition exposes them to cybersecurity threats that can severely disrupt patient care. Healthcare facilities must establish a comprehensive plan and monitor their systems around the clock to avoid becoming victims of cyber incidents. This proactive approach is essential for mitigating risks that could expose patients’ personally identifiable information (PII) or personal health information (PHI) or cause downtime that interrupts care and potentially threatens patient safety. 

Beyond the immediate impact on patient care, healthcare institutions must also recognize the potential for cybersecurity incidents to severely damage their reputation and lead to substantial fines and increased insurance premiums. Therefore, implementing a robust medical device cybersecurity protocol is imperative. By prioritizing awareness and preparation, healthcare institutions can ensure the continuity of care in today’s digital world, protecting patients' well-being first and their integrity second.

Threats to cyber security in healthcare take various forms, including phishing attacks, malware, data breaches, and, most commonly, ransomware—a type of attack in which hackers hold a victim’s data hostage until they pay a large sum of money or “ransom,” to get their information back. 
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In 2023, healthcare facilities experienced record numbers of ransomware attacks. According to an analysis by the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, 46 hospital systems suffered ransomware attacks in 2023, up from 25 in 2022 and 27 in 2021. Across those 46 attacks, at least 141 hospitals were directly affected and experienced disruption due to the lack of access to IT systems and patient data. ¹ Due to these rising threats, the federal government is introducing hospital cybersecurity mandates, including free training for smaller facilities. ²
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Threats to cyber security in healthcare take various forms, including phishing attacks, malware, data breaches, and, most commonly, ransomware—a type of attack in which hackers hold a victim’s data hostage until they pay a large sum of money or “ransom,” to get their information back. 

In 2023, healthcare facilities experienced record numbers of ransomware attacks. According to an analysis by the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, 46 hospital systems suffered ransomware attacks in 2023, up from 25 in 2022 and 27 in 2021. Across those 46 attacks, at least 141 hospitals were directly affected and experienced disruption due to the lack of access to IT systems and patient data. ¹ Due to these rising threats, the federal government is introducing hospital cybersecurity mandates, including free training for smaller facilities. ²

Cybersecurity attacks can significantly tarnish the reputation of healthcare organizations, leading to long-lasting consequences. These incidents tend to capture headlines, especially when patient care is compromised, making breaches a major public concern. Such events can severely undermine public perception, resulting in potential financial losses as trust diminishes. The reputational damage from breaches influences the decision-making of almost half of surveyed healthcare organizations, emphasizing the critical need to safeguard their digital infrastructure. ³
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In addition to reputational damage, cybersecurity attacks on healthcare organizations significantly impact financial stability due to immediate recovery costs and long-term ramifications, such as increased insurance premiums. The average cost of a healthcare data breach has surged to $11 million, which includes direct damages, legal liabilities, regulatory fines, and the erosion of public trust. These incidents force insurers to reassess the risk profiles of affected organizations, often leading to higher premiums for cybersecurity insurance. ⁴

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Absorbing these heightened costs can result in budget constraints for healthcare providers, potentially affecting funding for patient care services and investments in new technology. Without robust defenses, hospitals face operational chaos and an inability to provide timely and effective care, putting patient safety at risk. 
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Cybersecurity attacks can significantly tarnish the reputation of healthcare organizations, leading to long-lasting consequences. These incidents tend to capture headlines, especially when patient care is compromised, making breaches a major public concern. Such events can severely undermine public perception, resulting in potential financial losses as trust diminishes. The reputational damage from breaches influences the decision-making of almost half of surveyed healthcare organizations, emphasizing the critical need to safeguard their digital infrastructure. ³

In addition to reputational damage, cybersecurity attacks on healthcare organizations significantly impact financial stability due to immediate recovery costs and long-term ramifications, such as increased insurance premiums. The average cost of a healthcare data breach has surged to $11 million, which includes direct damages, legal liabilities, regulatory fines, and the erosion of public trust. These incidents force insurers to reassess the risk profiles of affected organizations, often leading to higher premiums for cybersecurity insurance. ⁴

Absorbing these heightened costs can result in budget constraints for healthcare providers, potentially affecting funding for patient care services and investments in new technology. Without robust defenses, hospitals face operational chaos and an inability to provide timely and effective care, putting patient safety at risk. 

An incident experienced by a major metropolitan children's hospital illustrates the severe impact of such threats on patient care. During the attack, key hospital systems were targeted, resulting in significant disruptions to daily operations and patient services. The distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack overwhelmed the hospital's networks, hampering critical communication channels and access to electronic medical records (EMR), leading to treatment delays and compromised care delivery.[1] This incident underscores the urgent need for healthcare institutions to build resilient cybersecurity infrastructures to withstand breaches and ensure patient safety.

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Unfortunately, when cyberattacks occur, essential medical devices are often just collateral damage, as criminals go after their primary target, the EMR. Cybercriminals prioritize this target because it hosts PHI. This information is valuable to criminals because one’s health history can’t be changed, unlike credit card information or social security numbers.

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PHI can be used to target individuals with frauds and scams that take advantage of the victim’s medical conditions or victim settlements. It can also be used to create fake insurance claims, allowing for the purchase and resale of medical equipment. Some criminals may also use PHI to gain access to prescriptions for their use or resale illegally. ⁶
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An incident experienced by a major metropolitan children's hospital illustrates the severe impact of such threats on patient care. During the attack, key hospital systems were targeted, resulting in significant disruptions to daily operations and patient services. The distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack overwhelmed the hospital's networks, hampering critical communication channels and access to electronic medical records (EMR), leading to treatment delays and compromised care delivery.[1] This incident underscores the urgent need for healthcare institutions to build resilient cybersecurity infrastructures to withstand breaches and ensure patient safety.

Unfortunately, when cyberattacks occur, essential medical devices are often just collateral damage, as criminals go after their primary target, the EMR. Cybercriminals prioritize this target because it hosts PHI. This information is valuable to criminals because one’s health history can’t be changed, unlike credit card information or social security numbers.

PHI can be used to target individuals with frauds and scams that take advantage of the victim’s medical conditions or victim settlements. It can also be used to create fake insurance claims, allowing for the purchase and resale of medical equipment. Some criminals may also use PHI to gain access to prescriptions for their use or resale illegally. ⁶

To avoid financial repercussions, a loss of reputation, and, most importantly, disruptions to patient care, a proactive approach to medical device cybersecurity is critical. While many organizations might have the basics covered in their security protocol, healthcare institutions must consider medical devices in their planning by doing the following: 

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• Incident response planning - Collaboration among various departments—IT, Administration, BioMed, Clinical, and Security—is essential for creating an effective incident response plan, so all staff and personnel are prepared should a cybersecurity attack occur. A cross-functional approach encourages the integration of protocols at every level, ensuring that all aspects of patient care remain protected during a data breach. 
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• Software and patch updates—Regular system updates are essential for increasing medical device cybersecurity. Keeping devices current with developer updates helps remove vulnerabilities that give cybercriminals access to sensitive data. However, older, legacy systems typically cannot support these updates, which leaves them at high risk for cyberattacks. Healthcare facilities should establish a process for managing legacy devices and purchasing new devices essential for patient care.
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• Asset management – Identifying assets and cataloging medical devices, as well as which software and hardware they have, helps determine the equipment most susceptible to attack. Identifying these assets and understanding how they all integrate can help to assess vulnerabilities further. From there, facilities can build out tiers based on importance and determine which systems cannot afford to have any downtime (i.e., an anesthesia machine) versus those that can be offline without seriously impacting patient care (i.e., the EMR). 
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• Staff training and awareness—Educating staff at every level helps ensure that all personnel are knowledgeable about medical device cybersecurity and confident enough to spot potential threats to their systems. It is also important that staff are made aware of the impact cybersecurity threats can have on patient care if the systems experience downtime. Healthcare facilities should provide routine training throughout the year to foster awareness across the organization. 
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To avoid financial repercussions, a loss of reputation, and, most importantly, disruptions to patient care, a proactive approach to medical device cybersecurity is critical. While many organizations might have the basics covered in their security protocol, healthcare institutions must consider medical devices in their planning by doing the following: 

• Incident response planning - Collaboration among various departments—IT, Administration, BioMed, Clinical, and Security—is essential for creating an effective incident response plan, so all staff and personnel are prepared should a cybersecurity attack occur. A cross-functional approach encourages the integration of protocols at every level, ensuring that all aspects of patient care remain protected during a data breach. 
• Software and patch updates—Regular system updates are essential for increasing medical device cybersecurity. Keeping devices current with developer updates helps remove vulnerabilities that give cybercriminals access to sensitive data. However, older, legacy systems typically cannot support these updates, which leaves them at high risk for cyberattacks. Healthcare facilities should establish a process for managing legacy devices and purchasing new devices essential for patient care.
• Asset management – Identifying assets and cataloging medical devices, as well as which software and hardware they have, helps determine the equipment most susceptible to attack. Identifying these assets and understanding how they all integrate can help to assess vulnerabilities further. From there, facilities can build out tiers based on importance and determine which systems cannot afford to have any downtime (i.e., an anesthesia machine) versus those that can be offline without seriously impacting patient care (i.e., the EMR). 
• Staff training and awareness—Educating staff at every level helps ensure that all personnel are knowledgeable about medical device cybersecurity and confident enough to spot potential threats to their systems. It is also important that staff are made aware of the impact cybersecurity threats can have on patient care if the systems experience downtime. Healthcare facilities should provide routine training throughout the year to foster awareness across the organization. 

Healthcare institutions that do not consider medical devices when implementing security measures risk disrupting patient care. While cybercriminals may be focused on obtaining PHI, healthcare facilities must do everything possible to ensure medical devices do not experience downtime during these events. Protecting the most important assets, such as anesthesia machines, ventilators, patient monitoring devices, etc., can be the difference between life and death for critical care patients. 

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Ensuring continuity of patient care during a cybersecurity incident requires a multifaceted approach involving preparation, collaboration, and policy adherence. Establishing robust security measures is critical for patient safety and the reputation of healthcare organizations. The conversations around cybersecurity are ongoing and ever-changing, emphasizing the need for healthcare organizations to continuously adapt their strategies in tandem with technological advancements. Maintaining patient care priorities while enhancing data security will ultimately lead to better outcomes and a more resilient healthcare system.
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Healthcare institutions that do not consider medical devices when implementing security measures risk disrupting patient care. While cybercriminals may be focused on obtaining PHI, healthcare facilities must do everything possible to ensure medical devices do not experience downtime during these events. Protecting the most important assets, such as anesthesia machines, ventilators, patient monitoring devices, etc., can be the difference between life and death for critical care patients. 

Ensuring continuity of patient care during a cybersecurity incident requires a multifaceted approach involving preparation, collaboration, and policy adherence. Establishing robust security measures is critical for patient safety and the reputation of healthcare organizations. The conversations around cybersecurity are ongoing and ever-changing, emphasizing the need for healthcare organizations to continuously adapt their strategies in tandem with technological advancements. Maintaining patient care priorities while enhancing data security will ultimately lead to better outcomes and a more resilient healthcare system.

The Mindray Difference \r\n

 

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When securing sensitive healthcare information, Mindray ensures data remains on-site with our customers or in an off-premise data center, never migrating to a cloud or leaving the U.S. Mindray is ISO-certified to ensure our assets, technologies, and processes are in place to protect customer information, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Learn More
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The Mindray Difference 

 

When securing sensitive healthcare information, Mindray ensures data remains on-site with our customers or in an off-premise data center, never migrating to a cloud or leaving the U.S. Mindray is ISO-certified to ensure our assets, technologies, and processes are in place to protect customer information, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Learn More

References:
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¹ Alder, Stephen. “At Least 141 Hospitals Directly Affected by Ransomware Attacks in 2023.” The HIPAA Journal, 4 Jan. 2024.

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²  Bruce, Giles. “Hospitals to Get Cybersecurity Mandates.” Becker’s Hospital Review, 10 May 2024, www.beckershospitalreview.com/cybersecurity/hospitals-to-get-cybersecurity-mandates.html.

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³ Enterprise, Bitdefender. “Healthcare Cybersecurity (Part I) - an Ecosystem Overview by the Numbers.” Bitdefender Blog, www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/businessinsights/healthcare-cybersecurity-ecosystem-overview-numbers. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024. 

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⁴ McKeon, Jill. “Average Cost of Healthcare Data Breach Reaches $11M: TechTarget.” Healthtech Security, TechTarget, 24 July 2023, www.techtarget.com/healthtechsecurity/news/366594246/Average-Cost-of-Healthcare-Data-Breach-Reaches-11M.

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⁵  SecureHospitals. “Boston Children’s Hospital: Hacktivism and Ddos Attacks.” SecureHospitals.Eu, 26 June 2020, www.securehospitals.eu/knowledge/case-studies/boston-childrens-hospital-us-hacktivism-and-ddos-attacks/.

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⁶ “Data Breaches: In the Healthcare Sector.” Center for Internet Security (CIS), 14 July 2021, www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/data-breaches-in-the-healthcare-sector. 

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References:

 

¹ Alder, Stephen. “At Least 141 Hospitals Directly Affected by Ransomware Attacks in 2023.” The HIPAA Journal, 4 Jan. 2024.

²  Bruce, Giles. “Hospitals to Get Cybersecurity Mandates.” Becker’s Hospital Review, 10 May 2024, www.beckershospitalreview.com/cybersecurity/hospitals-to-get-cybersecurity-mandates.html.

³ Enterprise, Bitdefender. “Healthcare Cybersecurity (Part I) - an Ecosystem Overview by the Numbers.” Bitdefender Blog, www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/businessinsights/healthcare-cybersecurity-ecosystem-overview-numbers. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024. 

⁴ McKeon, Jill. “Average Cost of Healthcare Data Breach Reaches $11M: TechTarget.” Healthtech Security, TechTarget, 24 July 2023, www.techtarget.com/healthtechsecurity/news/366594246/Average-Cost-of-Healthcare-Data-Breach-Reaches-11M.

⁵  SecureHospitals. “Boston Children’s Hospital: Hacktivism and Ddos Attacks.” SecureHospitals.Eu, 26 June 2020, www.securehospitals.eu/knowledge/case-studies/boston-childrens-hospital-us-hacktivism-and-ddos-attacks/.

⁶ “Data Breaches: In the Healthcare Sector.” Center for Internet Security (CIS), 14 July 2021, www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/data-breaches-in-the-healthcare-sector.