Given the volume of connected IoT (Internet of Things) devices in healthcare today, and with more connected medical devices coming online almost as quickly as they are built, real-time threat detection within healthcare environments is a must.
While connected medical devices in healthcare settings have made it easier to coordinate and manage patient care, these devices also create a larger attack surface for hackers and cyber criminals to exploit. Real-time threat detection helps protect healthcare IoT and connected medical devices while offering a number of other benefits for today’s forward-thinking healthcare organizations. Read on to learn why real-time threat detection is essential for secure, reliable healthcare delivery.
Instant Identification of Vulnerabilities and Threats
Real-time threat detection helps healthcare organizations quickly correlate vulnerabilities, threat intelligence, indicators of compromise (IOCs), and network behavior. For example, with Cylera, passive, real-time detection uncovers threats without disrupting device operations. This ensures potential threats are flagged as they emerge so that IT security teams can resolve threats quickly and thoroughly.
Reduced Alert Fatigue Due to Accurate Threat Prioritization
On any given day, healthcare organizations receive an overwhelming number of security alerts. The vast majority of them are usually false positives.
Solutions like Cylera help directly address this challenge through the use of smart machine learning that matches vulnerabilities and IOCs to network behavior and in-service data. This correlation reduces false positives and unnecessary alert noise. It also helps ensure IT security teams can focus on real threats and respond promptly.
Improved Risk Assessment and Mitigation
One of the core features of an intelligent healthcare cybersecurity platform like Cylera is its real-time threat detection and response capabilities. Real-time threat detection provides ongoing visibility into the security processes of healthcare IoT devices. With Cylera, hospitals and healthcare organizations can accurately score and prioritize risk based on a number of factors, including:
● Device type: Analyzes the features and functions of the device (different types of devices can be at different levels of risk)
● In Use Status: Determines whether or not a device is currently active, idle, or in maintenance, any of which may be a factor in its risk profile
● Vulnerability assessment: Identifies, evaluates, and alerts on known weaknesses in devices that could be exploited
● IOCs: Detects signs that a device is threatened or may have been breached
● Dependencies: Assesses device reliance on other systems or networks
● Secondary controls: Identifies any existing security measures in place that can mitigate detected vulnerabilities or risks
Better Audit and Compliance Data
Regular compliance audits ensure that healthcare organizations adhere to industry regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR. These audits assess the security measures in place, identify vulnerabilities, and verify that the organization complies with data protection standards. Compliance also helps protect sensitive patient data and avoid legal penalties.
Real-time threat detection, such as that provided in the Cylera platform, supports audit and compliance efforts by providing continuous monitoring and immediate incident reporting. This creates a detailed audit trail of all detected threats and responses, which is essential for compliance documentation. Additionally, real-time threat detection helps maintain the security, integrity, and availability of IoT devices, another key aspect of regulatory compliance.
Unauthorized Access Prevention
By default, many IoT devices come with passwords that can easily be guessed. Unfortunately, these passwords aren’t often changed by users or administrators, which leaves them ripe for exploitation. Attackers seek out weak authentication protocols to get access, which can, in turn, potentially compromise patient data and disrupt operations.
With real-time threat detection, IT security teams are notified promptly of unauthorized device access which allows them to deliver an immediate response to contain and resolve the issue while maintaining device uptime and performance.
Data Interception and Tampering
Data sent to and from IoT devices and backend systems is often weakly encrypted, if it’s encrypted at all, leaving it vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. In an MITM attack, a malicious actor intercepts and potentially alters data in transit.
Real-time threat monitoring can spot and flag these anomalies by flagging unexpected data flows or unauthorized modifications, common indicators of MITM attacks. Acting quickly to contain unauthorized access prevents data breaches and ensures the integrity of patient information, keeping healthcare systems secure and confidential.
Outdated Firmware and Software Detection
Outdated IoT device firmware and software can pose a major security risk, as hackers can exploit vulnerabilities to gain access to larger systems or launch more coordinated attacks on IoT devices. Real-time threat detection monitors the state of device software and firmware, alerting administrators to outdated versions and making them easy to update to help mitigate vulnerabilities in older versions.
Getting Started with Cylera: Best-in-Class, Real-Time Healthcare IoT Platform
Beyond creating a complete inventory of healthcare IoT devices, Cylera also provides detailed device profiling, vulnerability and risk assessment, and comprehensive threat detection by monitoring and identifying healthcare IoT device anomalies using intelligent machine learning and device traffic analysis. Built-in alerting capabilities also enable Cylera to quickly notify IT security teams of unauthorized device network connection attempts, unexpected data flows, or other IOCs for fast threat detection and streamlined incident response.
To learn more about Cylera’s comprehensive capabilities and ease of use, we invite you to take a product tour or request a demo to see how our powerful platform can help your healthcare organization analyze, mitigate, and defend against the growing number and complexity of healthcare IoT device threats and exploits. Contact us today for a one-on-one demonstration and see why our best-in-class real-time healthcare IoT cybersecurity platform leads the way in identifying, mitigating, and defending against the threats of today and tomorrow.
