Old software not only affects the operational efficiency of a device, but it can also present a serious cybersecurity risk, which is why there are currently efforts to increase cybersecurity awareness in healthcare facilities.
As the healthcare sector rushes to adopt new technologies to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, vulnerabilities in existing software and hardware systems that in some cases pose a cybersecurity risk have been exposed, GlobalData said. , data and analytics company.
Kamilla Kan, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Technological innovation is advancing at a breakneck pace, but healthcare technology is stuck in the 90s. Critical software used in devices such as anesthesia delivery systems and ventilators are in some cases running on computers. software first developed over two decades ago. The industry is in desperate need of a catch-up.
Old software not only affects the operational efficiency of a device, but it can also present a serious cybersecurity risk, which is why there are currently efforts to increase cybersecurity awareness in healthcare facilities. . For example, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suggested that lawmakers question the cybersecurity capabilities of medical devices and ensure that medical technologies are required to have a software nomenclature (SBOM) .
Kan continues, “Many facilities are still in the process of digitizing all of their systems or continue to use outdated systems. Healthcare companies should not only monitor and test the hardware and software security of new medical devices, but continue to update and monitor those that have been in service and in the medical market for some time.
The rate of cyberattacks on healthcare facilities has been steadily increasing since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to increase in the future as the healthcare industry adopts more advanced medical devices and increases the collection of patient data.
