Medical devices targeted by cyber attacks

Hacking and cyber attacks are no longer confined to computers. Thanks to the Internet of Things they affect a whole lot of other equipment too and that includes medical devices.

Application protection specialist Arxan has produced an infographic looking at the growing threat landscape surrounding connected medical devices.

Among its findings are that a worrying 94 percent of healthcare organizations have been victims of a cyber attack. Vulnerabilities include patient data theft, manipulation of therapy with the potential to harm patients, and malware infections that can spread throughout a healthcare network.

Headline attacks include a patient who was able to hack his own insulin pump, and a hospital forced to shut down its patient database following a ransomware attack.

You can see more, including recommendations for protection, in the infographic below.

Image Credit: Rob Hyron / Shutterstock