Security News > 2022 > January > 53% of medical devices have a known critical vulnerability

After a year of unprecedented ransomware attacks on hospitals and healthcare systems - and with healthcare now the #1 target for cybercriminals - critical medical device risks in hospital environments continue to leave hospitals and their patients vulnerable to cyber attacks and data security issues.

Data shows that 53% of connected medical devices and other IoT devices in hospitals have a known critical vulnerability.

Critical medical device risks IV pumps are the most common healthcare IoT device and possess a lion's share of risk: IV pumps make up 38% of a hospital's typical healthcare IoT footprint and 73% of those have a vulnerability that could jeopardize patient safety, data confidentiality, or service availability if it were to be exploited by an adversary.

Healthcare IoT running outdated Windows versions dominate devices in critical care sectors: Devices running versions older than Windows 10 account for the majority of devices used by pharmacology, oncology, and laboratory devices, and make up a plurality of devices used by radiology, neurology, and surgery departments, leaving patients connected to these devices vulnerable.

Network segmentation can reduce critical IoMT and IoT risk: Network segmentation can address over 90 percent of the critical risks presented by connected medical devices in hospitals and is the most effective way to mitigate most risks presented by connected devices.

"Healthcare is a top target for cyber attacks, and even with continued investments in cybersecurity, critical vulnerabilities remain in many of the medical devices hospitals rely on for patient care," said Daniel Brodie, CTO, Cynerio.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/01/25/critical-medical-device-risks/