Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

Opinion: Medical Device Security Not Always Scary

January 4, 2016 By Alan Grau, president and co-founder of Icon Labs

I recently read an article entitled “IoT and medical devices can be a scary combination” by Michael Hoffman from Polarion Software.

Given the spate of reports on vulnerabilities within medical devices this reaction is not surprising. And it’s not hard to imagine scenarios where highly connected medical devices result in loss of privacy. Much worse scenarios in which a cyberattack causes a medical device to improperly perform impacting patient treatment is also a serious concern and loss of life is not an unrealistic outcome. 

Loss of data has already occurred. The FDA has published a safety notice concerning a network connected infusion pump that was vulnerable to cyber-attack. Clearly, there is reason to think of the IoT and medical devices as a scary combination.

But it doesn’t have to be. There are steps that design engineers can be taking today to ensure the security of their devices. Michael Hoffman’s article points to more proactive security measures being taken by the FDA, Department of Homeland Security and ICS-CERT and advocates for the use of requirements management software to help manage the complexity of software development and ensure that security is addressed appropriately. These are important steps to build secure, connected medical devices.

Another important step is to evaluate available security frameworks for building security into the medical device. There are a number of security features that are required for building a secure medical device, including encryption, security protocols, secure boot, and secure firmware updates, at a minimum. Rather than trying to build all of these pieces from scratch, or trying to integrate open source solutions that were not truly designed for embedded use, a commercial solution can be used.

A commercial solution designed for use in embedded devices can shorten development cycles, reduce complexity and have the benefit of being developed by teams focused purely on security. These products will have much wider use than in-house developed solutions with the resulting increase in quality.

IoT connected medical devices are complex devices with multiple attack vectors for hackers to exploit. But properly implemented, using an existing security framework, you can reduce complexity, increase security and help create the Internet of Secure Things.

Related Articles Read More >

Minnetronix Medical's MindsEye expandable port is a cone-shaped device for deep brain access
Contract manufacturer Minnetronix Medical launches its first in-house product, MindsEye
A portrait of Jennifer Fried, the founder of Explorer Surgical
What’s next for Jennifer Fried after leaving Explorer Surgical?
Prix Galien USA 2022 nominees
The 24 best medical device innovations of 2022
Wire mesh that has captured a blood clot
How an Embotrap stent retriever thrombectomy treats ischemic strokes

DeviceTalks Weekly.

August 12, 2022
DTW – Medtronic’s Mauri brings years of patient care to top clinical, regulatory, scientific post
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech