By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    TBI: Some Surprising Statistics
    February 9, 2016
    Your Keys to Safer, Even More Secure Healthcare Cloud Services
    January 13, 2015
    4 Career Options in Healthcare Industry that Combine Big Data & Healthcare
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Why Cybersecurity Is Key To Protecting Medical Manufacturing In IoT
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Why Cybersecurity Is Key To Protecting Medical Manufacturing In IoT
Technology

Why Cybersecurity Is Key To Protecting Medical Manufacturing In IoT

emilyfolk
emilyfolk
Share
9 Min Read
SHARE

 

Contents
  • Medical Applications of IoT
  • Security Concerns
  • How Manufacturers Can Improve Security
  • The Importance of Security in Emergencies
  • Understanding How Customers Use Devices
  • Offering Improved Security Capabilities
  • Meeting Quality Assurance Thresholds
  • Conducting Continuous Testing
  • The Benefits of Improved Medical Device Security
  • Conclusion

Medical technology is getting connected. Today, a growing number of devices used in healthcare are part of the Internet of Things (IoT) — the vast online network used to share information. Cybersecurity, however, is a significant challenge to the continued adoption of this technology. It’s crucial that medical device manufacturers make cybersecurity a priority.

Medical Applications of IoT

Using IoT technology, devices such as heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, glucometers and scales used at home can transmit health information directly to doctors. In hospitals, equipment such as defibrillators, pumps, and wheelchairs can be fitted with sensors so medical staff knows where they are at all times. Devices can be equipped with push buttons that send out calls for emergency medical help. Sensors can also monitor health equipment, helping ensure devices function properly and warning users about potential problems before they occur.

In the future, we may likely see IoT devices that are more integrated into the body. In a recent experiment, researchers implanted electrodes in paralyzed monkeys’ brains. The electrodes recorded electrical signals from the brain that would typically control movement. The electrode then sent the information to a computer that decoded it and sent it to electrodes placed in the animals’ lumbar spines. The electrodes stimulated the monkeys’ spinal cords, moving their legs according to the commands their brain sent.

More Read

fda regulations
FDA’s Sham Regulations Impede Medical Innovation
Thermalin Diabetes Follows the “Coulter Process” And Addresses Significant Needs in the Insulin Market
One Health Insurer’s Strategy for Patient Engagement
Designing a Health App that Works
Data-Driven Exercise for the Disabled

While we’re not using these kinds of treatments yet, we may be someday relatively soon. The IoT is already making a substantial impact on health care, though, with current technology. IoT tech can increase the amount of data health professionals have about their patients, enabling them to offer more personalized care. It can also improve productivity and efficiency in healthcare facilities.

More data and an interconnected system for managing it means more information can be used to improve care. While the growth of IoT medical devices has many potential benefits, it also comes with risks, namely associated with cybersecurity.

Security Concerns

Patient medical information is up to 10 times more valuable to hackers than financial data. Criminals can use this information to file fake claims with insurers and buy medical devices or medicine to resell.

While a single medical device likely doesn’t contain a patient’s full medical history, hackers can use them as gateways into the larger information system. The more devices there are on a network, the more chances criminals have to find a way in. Gaining access through an IoT device also provides some anonymity, because it allows the perpetrator to make requests using the IP address.

Hackers could also launch a denial-of-service attack in which they make IoT devices unavailable, potentially demanding a ransom to restore access. This represents a significant risk to patient safety.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued guidance warning the health care industry about security risks stemming from off-the-shelf software used with interconnected medical devices. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also recently issued a report about managing cybersecurity risks from IoT devices, and the FBI recently issued a warning about the matter.

Cybersecurity issues related to IoT devices are clearly a serious concern, especially when it comes to medical devices.

How Manufacturers Can Improve Security

While health care facilities should also play a role, according to the FDA’s Quality System regulation, device manufacturers are the ones responsible for the security of their software. Cybersecurity should be a priority for all medical device manufacturers. Not only will focusing on security help them gain market share, but it’s also essential for patient safety.

The Importance of Security in Emergencies

There are hundreds of natural disasters every year, from hurricanes and tornadoes to earthquakes and tsunamis, that impact human life, killing hundreds of thousands of people. For most people in the path of a natural disaster, evacuation is the best option, but for healthcare facilities like hospitals, evacuation won’t work.

Natural disasters won’t stop people from needing medical care, but they do make it harder for patients to get to the hospital. That’s where investing in telehealth options can come in handy. Patients can still talk to their doctor, get medical advice and even receive prescriptions without needing to make the trip to a hospital. In order to protect patient security and provide access to health care, even in times of crisis.

Understanding How Customers Use Devices

One way medical device manufacturers can improve cybersecurity is to ensure they understand how their customers are using their products. It’s also helpful to understand the typical cybersecurity maturity level of their customers. They should check in with customers and update their use cases about once a year. This will help them keep up with changing needs and provide updates as necessary. Device manufacturers should also be prepared to hear concerns from customers that discover potential vulnerabilities.

Offering Improved Security Capabilities

Manufacturers can consider offering on-device security solutions as well as partnering with third-party cybersecurity vendors. This setup gives customers options depending on their preferences and security environment. Most customers will likely use out-of-the-box solutions, but some may prefer also using integrated aftermarket options.

Ensuring the software and hardware of your device have adequate security features can help protect against other potential vulnerabilities related to the use of default passwords, weak network security and other issues. Of course, device manufacturers need to ensure any third-party cybersecurity vendors they work with are trusted and capable of providing the required level of security.

Meeting Quality Assurance Thresholds

Medical device manufacturers also need to make sure their devices are free of known vulnerabilities and meet quality assurance thresholds. Penetration testing and vulnerability scanning, either through third parties or internally, can help in this area. Manufacturers need to use a methodical approach to identifying and removing vulnerabilities.

Conducting Continuous Testing

It’s also important that manufacturers continuously conduct testing of their devices’ cybersecurity aspects and provide updates as needed. This includes software and firmware updates, as well as upgrades for features and functionalities for out-of-the-box and after-market solutions.

The Benefits of Improved Medical Device Security

Improving the security of medical IoT devices will have benefits for device manufacturers, health care companies and patients. Device manufacturers will improve their products and, as a result, sell more of them. This increased revenue will allow them to invest more in improving their offerings further and developing new technologies.

Improving the security of IoT will also reduce risks for health care organizations by making it more difficult for hackers to steal data. Patients will also be exposed to less risk and will receive safer care.

Conclusion

The IoT health care market is growing rapidly and is expected to reach $136.8 billion worldwide by 2021. Despite this growth, medical device manufacturers are still facing some significant challenges, and perhaps, the most prominent is cybersecurity. The age of IoT is already here. It’s up to medical device manufacturers, as well as health care organizations, to put the necessary focus on cybersecurity.

TAGGED:cybersecuritydata securitydigital securityHealth ITIotmedical devicesmedical manufacturingmedical technology
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Dr Bones McCoy
BusinessMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsTechnology

The Real Medical Tricorder: When Science and Fiction Collide

March 11, 2014
DiagnosticsTechnology

10 Essential Things Every Bio Lab Needs To Have

February 15, 2022

Huddle for Excellence In Healthcare Delivery

August 13, 2015
Image
eHealthMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsMobile HealthNewsSpecialtiesTechnology

Mobile Health Around the Globe: EyeNetra Offers SmartPhone Eye Diagnostics

September 23, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?