The use of IoT technology has had many applications in this sector such as tracking equipment, patient health, staff members, and ambulances, as well as monitoring biometric data and the automatic gathering and sensing of data.
by Ramneek Kalra
The current pandemic has not only put the healthcare industry at the forefront, but it has also given a significant boost to digitisation in this sector by introducing and improving the quality of e-health services in the country.
A recent IEEE survey of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) in the U.S., U.K., China, India and Brazil, revealed that 42% of respondents feel that the adoption of IoT has also been accelerated due to the global pandemic, apart from being one of the most important technologies in 2021. Another IDC report on IoT spending highlighted that the worldwide spending on IoT will return to double-digit growth in 2021, with a CAGR of 11.3%.
On top of this, according to a recent Zinnov report, IoT investments in India were close to USD 5 billion in 2019, and this is expected to go up to USD 15 billion in 2021. This research is a testament to the fact that IoT has drastically changed the way we approach diagnostics and treatments today and will take the country to newer heights. Healthcare industries are leveraging technology to safeguard patients and reduce face-to-face contact as much as possible.
The use of IoT technology has had many applications in this sector such as tracking equipment, patient health, staff members, and ambulances, as well as monitoring biometric data and the automatic gathering and sensing of data.
Unfortunately, while healthcare is becoming more technology and IoT enabled, not all facilities are prepared with the necessary tools to support such a high level of interconnectivity over multiple devices, while handling sensitive and personal data, at the same time.
This growth of tech in healthcare has exposed the sector to various risks and prompted a significant increase in cyber threats. Unlike an office or a home environment, in healthcare, the magnitude of risks and vulnerabilities to cybercrimes are very high. With emerging technologies, cyber-attacks and crimes are getting more sophisticated and considering the extensive amount of data involved in the healthcare industry, it could have a large-scale impact.
As a result, the seriousness and potential repercussions of cyber-attacks requires healthcare organisations to put extra emphasis on healthcare IoT security. Having said that, below are best practices to protect healthcare IoT devices from cyber-attacks:
- Self-Awareness and Adoption of Secure Private Network Connection
The foremost step to improving cybersecurity and protecting IoT devices is having an awareness of the threat landscape. It’s always better to prevent a cyber-attack from occurring and causing extensive damage rather than responding to an attack. Organisations can analyse past cyber-attacks to get an understanding of potential vulnerabilities.
The data acquired can be leveraged to understand the patterns of past incidents and prepare organisations with prevention or mitigation mechanisms for any potential future attacks. Organisations must also ensure they are using a secured internet or private network connection. An unsecured network can be easily broken into and can expose sensitive information in a data breach. The best solution is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that will encrypt internet traffic and monitor for any sign of threats.
- Minimization of Cloud Use and Maximization of Edge Applications near the User Layer of Network Architecture
With the advancement and adoption of edge applications, cloud usage will be minimized as more data will be analysed near the user layer. In edge applications, use of the cloud layer only comes when users need to store and analyse large historical datasets that can’t be accommodated over edge layer memory.
- Adoption of Secure Devices with Proper Certified Network Routers and Gateway for Healthcare Industry
It’s advisable for any organization to use certified secure devices for networking purposes and specifically for the healthcare industry. Secure devices are important when it comes to healthcare as there are massive amounts of personal data that could be vulnerable if not properly managed and protected.
IoT is connecting everyday devices faster than ever before and making the healthcare industry more efficient. That said, as cyber-attacks increase, these devices will need to be protected as they can be a large liability from a security point of view. It will become imperative for IoT manufacturers to provide in-built security for their devices and understand the cybersecurity threats that can impact them. By doing this, IoT will take the healthcare industry to greater more secure heights.
Article: Best practices to protect healthcare IoT devices from cyberattacks