TRIMEDX, Indiana University partner on medtech cybersecurity lab

TRIMEDX Indiana University Health TRIMEDX announced today that it is collaborating with Indiana University Health to develop a cybersecurity lab for medical devices.

The two aim to develop a lab to test medical device security and reduce device security threats. The two seek to do so as part of the product development process.

According to a news release, the collaboration brings new opportunities for healthcare professionals and the cybersecurity industry. It offers innovative TRIMEDX technology, which is not available to most health systems, to the IU Health Medical Device Security Lab. TRIMEDX said it hopes to extend its research to others over time.

“The increase in threats and vulnerabilities is exactly why this collaboration is so important,” said Nick Sturgeon, executive director of information security at Indiana University Health. “The collaboration will allow us to be at the forefront of innovation and to continue to protect the health and security of patients.”

According to TRIMEDX, healthcare cybersecurity breaches reached an all-time high in 2021. Additionally, Deloitte expects 68% of medical devices to be connected devices by 2025. IU Health’s Medical Device Security Lab provides testing of these types of devices for vulnerabilities and interoperability.

What the lab does

The lab will perform enterprise security testing on medical equipment in an environment posing no risk to patients. TRIMEDX said it also enhances its approach toward medical device cybersecurity and innovation in the industry. Its objectives include testing net-new devices in advance of implementation in the hospital.

Additionally, the lab aims to test configurations and security setups. This helps discover the services and ports needed. TRIMEDX and IU Health also plan for active scanning of equipment specific to security testing with no live network or risk of patient impact.

“We expect that this Medical Device Security Lab will pave the way in creating a space for devices to be tested before usage and begin to flag common security issues prior to the implementation of the devices in a healthcare setting,” said Doug Folsom, TRIMEDX chief technology officer and president of cybersecurity. “The intent is to see an overall decrease in device security threats and eventually make this research open and available to many more organizations.”