Cyber Defense eMagazine June 2020 Edition

In addition to that usage of cloud platform by the HIS providers is also increasing the risk of security of
data.
e) Risks of using Internet-enabled connected healthcare devices
With the introduction of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has made it possible to provide real-time
care to the patients can save lives in emergency situations like heart-failure, asthma attacks, or diabetes.
IoMT devices can collect real-time data regarding blood sugar levels, blood pressure, heartbeat etc.
which can be monitored by the care provider to make decisions regarding medication. Continuous
Glucose Monitor, Closed-loop (automated) insulin delivery system, smart inhaler, Bluetooth-enabled
coagulation system are a few examples of IoMT systems in healthcare. The market of IoMT is growing
and is expected to drive nearly $47 billion in revenues in healthcare revenue by 2020 ix . With convenience
comes the cost. The cost here is the risk of loss of very personal health data captured by these devices
which are stored using cloud platforms. In one of the cases in 2018, a fitness tracking application Strava
which is used to track and share daily exercise routes by individuals revealed the sensitive information
about the location of US army bases x .
In sum, security risks faced by healthcare information systems range from ransomware, malware attacks,
phishing, a threat from inside actors such as employees, HIS solution providers or maybe the technology
mismanagement. Table 2 lists some of the significant breaches to understand that these attacks are not
just limited to a specific type of attack, specific geography or a variety of healthcare information system.
Table 2: Major attacks faced by the Healthcare industry
S.N
o.
Year Organizatio
n
Type of breach Impact Reference
1 Mar
ch
201
9
Meditab,
California
Fax server wasn’t
properly secured i.e.
no password, giving
access to anyone
who could read the
transmitted faxes in
real-time.
Thousands of records
leaked including
medical records,
doctor’s notes,
prescription amounts
and quantities, as well
as illness information,
such as blood test
results etc. The faxes
also included names,
addresses, dates of
https://techcru
nch.com/2019/
03/17/medicalhealth-dataleak/
Cyber Defense eMagazine –June 2020 Edition 91
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