Medtech, hospitals on alert for cyberattacks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

• Published in: Cybersecurity Dive
• Main Author: Slabodkin, Greg
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Industry Dive 02.03.2022
• Subjects: Consulting firms; Cybercrime; Cybersecurity; Data encryption; Engineering firms; Hackers; Hospitals; Infrastructure; Internet of Things; Malware; Medical device industry; Medical equipment; Medical technology; Patient safety; Ransomware; Supply chains; Threats; United States > US; Ukraine; Russia

Kevin Fu, acting director of cybersecurity at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, recently said that attacks on healthcare facility networks are causing medical device "outages" that put patient lives at risk. According to the FDA, medical device manufacturers (MDMs) are responsible for "remaining vigilant" about identifying cybersecurity risks and hazards related to their devices, while healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) should evaluate their network security and protect their hospital systems. Since the reasons for this war seem illogical, I would expect his continued actions to reflect this as well. Watchdog group ECRI in January issued its annual report on the biggest medtech hazards, finding that cyberattacks are the top patient safety concern for medical devices in 2022, while noting that all healthcare organizations are subject to cybersecurity incidents.