14,000 medical devices are online, unsecured and vulnerable | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Censys cybersecurity researchers find medical devices, login portals, and health records floating online.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/medical-devices-online-health-censys\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"14,000 medical devices are online, unsecured and vulnerable\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Censys cybersecurity researchers find medical devices, login portals, and health records floating online.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/medical-devices-online-health-censys\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-10T17:23:14+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-10T17:23:15+00:00\"> 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readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"24.53\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"30.584112149533\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/healthcare\/\"> <span>Healthcare<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Censys cybersecurity researchers find medical devices, login portals, and health records floating online. <\/p>\n<p>   <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"409\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/14000-medical-devices-are-online-unsecured-and-vulnerable.jpg?resize=640%2C409&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/14000-medical-devices-are-online-unsecured-and-vulnerable-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/14000-medical-devices-are-online-unsecured-and-vulnerable-2.jpg?resize=300,192 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/14000-medical-devices-are-online-unsecured-and-vulnerable-2.jpg?resize=768,491 768w, 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1318w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1055px) 100vw, 1055px\"><figcaption> Vital signs monitor. (Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"48.870516717325\"><body readability=\"98.664935064935\"><\/p>\n<p>Of the more than 14,000 IPs of exposed and vulnerable medical devices, health care login portals, and databases throughout the world, nearly half are found in the U.S., according to a report released Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Censys \u2014 a search platform that can identify internet-connected devices \u2014 scoured the public net and <a href=\"https:\/\/censys.com\/state-of-internet-of-healthcare-things\/\">categorized the vast medical playground<\/a> used by malicious hackers that partly explains why the industry is beset with so many attacks. The research found that just under half of the \u201cInternet of Healthcare Things\u201d (IoHT) devices found online belong to U.S. businesses \u2014 6,884 or 49%. India is far behind in second place, with 10% of devices found online.<\/p>\n<p>Censys researchers noted that the decentralized nature of the U.S. health care system is a likely reason why so many devices are online, drawing a comparison with the United Kingdom, its centralized health care system and its paltry 200 devices online.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, while the findings focused on public interfaces and devices \u2014 with honeypots and false positives removed \u2014 other systems may not be as easily public but still vulnerable nonetheless, the research states.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The health care ecosystem has been under almost <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/unitedhealth-group-steven-martin-ciso-ransomware-attack-recovery\/\">constant assault<\/a> in recent years as cybercriminals take advantage of a system decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Combating <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/ransomware-used-in-attack-that-disrupted-us-hospitals\/\">ransomware attacks against hospitals<\/a> has become a major <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/rural-hospital-ransomware\/\">national security priority<\/a> for the Biden administration as the potential impacts can be dire. A <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/tag\/change-healthcare\/\">recent extortion of Change Healthcare<\/a> crippled the payment processing company and tens of thousands of pharmacies, highlighting the potential disruptions at risk.<\/p>\n<p>The White House has pushed for additional cyber mandates for medical device makers recently as part of a broader effort to get manufacturers to introduce secure-by-design principles into their products before they go to market. A rule from the Food and Drug Administration <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fda-cybersecurity-medical-devices\/\">went into effect last October<\/a> that would require vendors to find and mitigate vulnerabilities. Congress, meanwhile, has legislation that would create <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/minimum-cybersecurity-standards-health-care-wyden-warner-bill\/\">cyber standards<\/a> for health care providers.<\/p>\n<p>But while cybercriminals have targeted health care systems for extortion and profit, the businesses using the systems could be doing a lot more to stem the flow of attacks as well, Censys research revealed.<\/p>\n<p>Censys found that many of the networks of smaller health care organizations that provide critical services used residential ISPs. Additionally, many lacked basic security hygiene, with researchers finding weak credentials or unencrypted connections and misconfigurations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSmaller organizations can be more susceptible to attack because they are often less prepared to defend against sophisticated methods,\u201d Censys wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The most online devices were the communication protocols and web interfaces used for transferring and viewing medical images, called Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine, or DICOM, Censys noted.<\/p>\n<p>DICOM is both a format and a protocol used for scans like MRIs and CTs and connects radiology equipment with software for further analysis. It\u2019s also a 30-year-old protocol that \u201cwasn\u2019t built with security in mind\u201d and instead prioritized accessibility, Censys researchers wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Most servers found online were deployed without firewalls or VPNs and belonged to independent radiology and pathology services providers or imaging departments at hospital networks, Censys found. <\/p>\n<p>Additionally, login pages for medical records called Electronic Medical Records and Electronic Health Records made up of just under 30% of other exposed devices found online. Censys found more than 5,100 web-based applications that could contain sensitive data, such as complete medical histories or lab results, researchers noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEMRs and EHRs are among the most frequently targeted assets in healthcare data breaches due to the vast amount of protected health information they store, including social security numbers, biometric data, contact information, and medical images \u2014 valuable data for malicious actors looking to profit on the dark web,\u201d Censys noted, citing a U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-02-17-1300-emr-in-healthcare-tlpwhite.pdf\">Department of Health and Human Services<\/a> document.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Other devices used to manage and use medical image software like DICOM were also identified in the report, as well as health care data integration platforms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe critical importance of implementing robust access controls, such as multi-factor authentication, is hard to exaggerate,\u201d researchers wrote. \u201cThis is a must for securing sensitive systems like EMR\/EHR platforms that must be accessible over the web.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"1.6178343949045\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"9\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/14000-medical-devices-are-online-unsecured-and-vulnerable-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Christian Vasquez\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Christian Vasquez<\/h4>\n<p> Christian covers industrial cybersecurity for CyberScoop News. He previously wrote for E&E News at POLITICO covering cybersecurity in the energy sector. 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{"id":5724,"date":"2024-10-10T12:23:14","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T17:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=82079"},"modified":"2024-10-10T12:23:14","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T17:23:14","slug":"14000-medical-devices-are-online-unsecured-and-vulnerable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/10\/10\/14000-medical-devices-are-online-unsecured-and-vulnerable\/","title":{"rendered":"14,000 medical devices are online, unsecured and vulnerable"},"content":{"rendered":"