Keep your healthcare data and medical devices safe from malicious hackers with this guide to cybersecurity best practices for connected medical devices. Learn more now!
The internet of things (IoT) is rapidly expanding into the world of healthcare, bringing new opportunities and potential risks. To protect patients’ data and medical devices from cyberattacks, organizations must be aware of the unique cybersecurity challenges posed by connected medical devices and implement best practices that ensure the safety of their systems.
Securely Configure Devices and Networks.
To ensure your healthcare data and sensitive medical devices are kept safe from malicious hackers, it’s essential to configure appliances and networks securely. Ensure your organization’s networks are up-to-date with industry best practices such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and an appropriate firewall solution. Strong passwords should also be regularly changed on all systems; consider using a password manager to generate, store, and manage your organization’s passwords safely.
Implement Access Control and Authentication Measures.
Access and authentication control measures help ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information, while unauthorized users cannot access the system. Implementing Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is a great way to strengthen user authentication and access control. MFA requires users to provide two or more credentials before gaining access to an account or network. This could include something the user knows, such as a password or PIN, something they have, such as a security token or code from a phone app, and something they are, such as biometric data like fingerprint scans or eye scanning technologies.
Encrypt Data During Transport and Storage.
Data encryption is a great way to protect users’ personal information and medical data. Encrypting data during transport helps to save it as it moves around the network, while encrypting data at rest helps to ensure that stored data remains secure. In addition, properly using encryption technologies makes it more difficult for malicious hackers to access sensitive information. Therefore, it is crucial to use robust encryption algorithms and appropriately configure them to protect the confidentiality of users’ data.
Continuously Patch Vulnerabilities.
Cybersecurity best practices are constantly evolving, and staying on top of those updates is critical to keeping your data and devices secure. For example, one of the essential steps to staying connected to medical devices safely is to update their firmware often with the latest patches, including security patches. In addition, it’s necessary to apply these updates regularly to prevent attackers from exploiting vulnerable software and hardware components.
Monitor Your Network for Cyber Attacks.
Monitoring your network is critical to detect any malicious activity that would put your organization and its medical devices at risk. Make sure you have processes for monitoring and promptly responding to suspicious activities. This will help you quickly contain the threat before it can have significant consequences that could result in data loss, ransomware, or a system being completely taken over.