New Dangers In the New World: Cyber Attacks in the Healthcare Industry

Abstract

The Internet of Things, IoT, is one of the developments in the new world that has impacted humanity in an unbelievable way. Most noticeably by the connections it has created between devices and the information-sharing network it has established. The implementation of this revolutionary technology, while creating many positive outcomes, also has the threat of privacy invasion by hacking, making individuals vulnerable to loss of private data. The greatest impact of this invasion is experienced by the healthcare industry. A hacking attack on medical records, or on biomedical devices can have lifelong implications, and in the case of implantable devices, have the potential to be fatal. Since there is the involvement of several persons in the maintenance and sharing of medical records as well as in the invention, design, development, and utilization of a medical device, preserving the security of data that is shared presents an enormous challenge. Additionally, the cyber security of devices and records in the healthcare industry comes under the purview of many agencies, and thus, no one department has been held responsible for their protection. The government has initiated several actionable items and the cyber security experts have suggested techniques for cyber defense. Regulatory protocols, safety measures and emergency procedures have not yet been developed and instituted, but much work has begun and is being sustained by the interaction of the biomedical industry, cyber defense experts, government agencies, and healthcare providers. The future of cyber security in the healthcare industry looks promising even as investment, infrastructure, and regulations have commenced in all the interconnected agencies.