Data Protection, Security Should be Top Priorities for Medtech During Pandemic

COVID-19 not only has created a worldwide health crisis, it also has exposed vulnerabilities in medtech cybersecurity.

Since the pandemic began last year, there has been an increasing amount of cyberattacks carried out on hospitals, health systems and research facilities. Although a greater proportion (5 percent to 10 percent) of IT budgets are being spent on cybersecurity, various barriers, such as data compliance or slow integration of multi-factor authentication, still exist in providing greater levels of security, concludes GlobalData, a worldwide data and analytics company.

BD recently proposed adopting “Zero Trust” security principles, which assume there is no trust already in place when someone or something requests access to work assets. The first step is verifying a person’s trustworthiness before granting access. This is an increasingly important principle in trying to improve cybersecurity but it is unclear whether it will be implemented by the healthcare industry. And if so, how quickly. 
 
Kamilla Kan, a medical analyst at GlobalData, commented: “Various healthcare facilities are particularly sensitive to cyberattacks due to the nature of information they contain and the healthcare industry has been slow to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital technologies like wearable devices. However, with the recent mass implementation of new technologies, healthcare providers are now beginning to shift to prioritizing data protection and cybersecurity. According to GlobalData, the global security industry will be worth nearly $238 billion by 2030, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4 percent between 2019 and 2030.”
 
Security vendors are already using methods such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to protect the healthcare industry from cyberattacks, as these technologies can be used to analyze the growing landscape and discover potential attacks. At the same time, there are already fears that AI will also be adopted by hackers for offensive purposes.