The Good and Bad of Connected Healthcare

In the fast-paced world of digital health, healthcare IoT (Internet of Things) devices are now essential for achieving better patient outcomes, streamlining operations, and enabling real-time diagnostics. People in hospitals, clinics, and even at home are finding these devices helpful. Smart infusion pumps, wearable heart monitors, networked ventilators, blood pressure monitors and similar devices are some other examples.

There are many benefits to healthcare IoT, but it also poses a cybersecurity risk. It’s good that these gadgets can be interconnected, but that also makes them easier to hack. This interconnectedness puts patient safety, clinical processes, and private data at risk. In 2025, hospitals and other places that provide health care will use computers and data more promptly. In other words, protecting IoT devices will no longer be optional; it will be obligatory to protect both medical data and general data. This blog will shine a light on how dangerous healthcare IoT is and how one can make the IoT ecosystem safe.

Understanding the Specific Dangers of Healthcare IoT

Healthcare IoT devices are integral to clinical processes. They are usually in charge of things that are highly crucial to life, making them a lot different from the regular IT systems. Consequently, they are much more likely to be hacked than a typical gadget that is connected to the internet. If an insulin pump, defibrillator, or surgical robot breaks, it could have a direct and immediate effect on the life of a patient.

Also, these devices often operate on unique hardware and software that might not work with regular cybersecurity technologies. Many of them use outdated or proprietary operating systems and lack basic security features, such as user authentication, patch management, and encryption. These devices are also great targets for bigger attacks like ransomware, data breaches, and network failures because they are linked to hospital networks and electronic health record (EHR) systems.

Why It’s Hard To Keep IoT Safe In Health Care

A combination of technical issues, operational requirements, and complex regulations makes it challenging to ensure IoT security in hospital settings. First, many of the gadgets we use today are ancient and weren’t designed to connect to the internet or protect us from cyberattacks. They might not be able to update, have hardcoded passwords, or use insecure communication protocols.

Second, hospitals and medical institutions often prioritise being open over keeping people safe. It takes a long time to scan or patch devices since taking them down might impair patient care. Third, there isn’t enough standardisation. Many different companies make a variety of healthcare IoT devices. They all have their own software, guidelines for how to update, and ways to connect with other devices. When the network is broken up like this, it’s challenging to use the same security rules or keep track of everything.

Healthcare workers also don’t always know when and how devices interact with each other, what data they send, and who can see it. The attack surface keeps getting broader, and the defences are often broken, not strong enough, or only work when they need to. This makes things more confusing and deadly.

Threats in the Real World: From Hurting Patients to Shutting Down Operations

It is vitally important to keep healthcare IoT safe because a successful assault might put patients’ safety, public health, and data privacy at risk. Ransomware has stopped medical equipment from working, spyware has gotten into imaging systems, and pacemakers and insulin pumps have had problems that may let someone control them from a distance. Criminals are now utilising targeted attacks to take advantage of weak spots in medical networks. Every year, they get more intelligent and lethal.

Think about a malicious hacker getting into a hospital’s wireless infusion pumps and changing the doses for a few patients. Or someone who steals thousands of medical records with a broken ECG monitor. These threats aren’t just guesses; they’re real and getting worse in the healthcare system right now. There are a number of costs, like fines from regulators, legal fees, and time lost. Also, the loss of trust between doctors and patients can be really terrible and continue for a long time.

Problems with Regulations and Following Them

Regulators are also putting more and more pressure on healthcare companies to keep their IoT settings secure. The Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and the NIS2 Directive clearly outline the requirements for maintaining the safety of medical equipment in the EU. The FDA has revised the criteria for keeping items already for sale in the US safe from hackers. Companies that create medical gadgets now have to tell patients about problems and how to fix them.

Laws like HIPAA and GDPR, which protect data worldwide, also have stringent requirements regarding how patient data is collected, stored, and shared. If you don’t safeguard IoT devices that handle this kind of data, you could get in trouble with the law or even go to jail. In the current threat scenario, following the law will mean more than just filling out documents. Organisations will also need to demonstrate that they are actively managing risks, monitoring systems, and being prepared to address problems as they arise.

Making the IoT Ecosystem Safe for Health Care

Every party involved needs to collaborate on technology, policy, personnel, and partnerships to ensure Healthcare IoT is secure by 2025. Setting up real-time inventory and asset detection is one of the most important things to do. Companies need to know exactly what devices are connected to their network, where they are and what software they are using. Another crucial aspect to consider is how IoT devices interact with each other and what information is shared. Health care organisations can use this information to construct risk profiles for devices and put older or higher-risk equipment at the top of the list for future research.

Next, it’s imperative to take everything apart. To keep IoT devices separate from the rest of the IT environment, healthcare providers must utilise network segmentation and micro-segmentation. This indicates that one of the broken devices is less likely to be able to shift to the side. They should also adopt Zero Trust Architecture. Examining and approving every user and device before they can use any component of the system or network can do wonders for security. Rather than relying on conventional antivirus or endpoint protection, it’s generally preferable to deploy security tools engineered explicitly for IoT environments that understand the unique operational patterns of medical equipment.

Taking Care of Devices Over Time and Working With Vendors

From buying an IoT gadget to throwing it away, security should be a part of every step of its life. Healthcare providers should check that the technology they buy has security certifications, can be patched, and fulfils cybersecurity standards like IEC 62443 or ISO/IEC 80001. Contracts with vendors must be clear on how to fix security gaps, upgrade firmware, and get support with technical problems.

While the system is up and running, healthcare organisations should do regular risk assessments, firmware checks, and behavioural analytics. If a device can’t be used anymore, it needs to be properly destroyed and taken off the network so that it can’t be used for malicious intentions. In this case, it’s pretty important to work closely with the makers because many device problems can’t be fixed without help from the OEM, i.e. original equipment manufacturer.

Monitoring Organisational Readiness and Incident Response

There will always be cyber threats; therefore, healthcare firms need to establish clear rules for how to handle breaches that involve the Internet of Things. This includes plans to separate devices, get services back online, let stakeholders know, and work with regulatory groups. Training your employees is just as important. People who work in healthcare, as well as technicians and IT staff, all need to know how to use and fix equipment. A safe healthcare system in 2025 isn’t only one that stops attacks; it’s also one that can swiftly and effectively find, respond to, and get back on its feet after them.

In Conclusion: Making Cybersecurity a Key Part of Patient Safety

It’s evident that healthcare will be connected in the future, and with that connection comes accountability. Healthcare IoT devices can help people generate new ideas and achieve better results, but only if they are protected from the growing number of threats. In 2025, keeping these devices safe involves more than just securing their data. Being honest in medical care is also very important for saving lives and preserving people’s trust. Healthcare professionals, tech companies, lawmakers, and security experts all need to work together to make sure that new technology helps patients without putting them at risk. Placing security first will help the healthcare business fully appreciate what IoT can do in a secure, ethical, and strong way.

In short, health care providers need to put cybersecurity at the top of the list of things to do to keep patients secure. This could be easily achieved with the help of a trusted cybersecurity partner. GoAllSecure can be your security partner. We have the right tools and resources to strengthen your security. We can handle implementing new technologies, processes, and attitudes so that no user, device, or system is an easy target for exploitation. Our experts are available to make it easy for you to secure your business. For more information about us, kindly call us at +91 85 2723 7851 or +44 20 3287 4253.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it more likely that hackers will gain access to IoT devices used in healthcare than to regular IT systems?

Healthcare IoT devices differ from regular IT equipment because they are often used to assist patients, such as insulin pumps, ventilators, and surgical robots. Many of these devices run on outdated or proprietary systems that don’t have basic security features like patch management or encryption. This makes them much more likely to be hacked.

What makes it so hard to keep healthcare IoT devices safe?

There are a lot of reasons, like old devices that weren’t made to connect to the internet, operational needs that don’t allow for downtime for patching, and the fact that different manufacturers don’t have the same standards. Healthcare providers often struggle with networks that are fragmented and difficult to visualise, which makes it easier for hackers to gain access.

What are the real risks of IoT cyberattacks in the medical field?

Data breaches are not the only risk. If an attack is successful, it could alter the doses of medicines, damage critical medical equipment, or even halt all of a hospital’s operations. Cyber threats can make people less likely to trust healthcare institutions and put patients’ safety at risk. Ransomware has, for instance, shut down imaging systems, and pacemakers and infusion pumps have had security holes.

What are the best ways to protect IoT devices used in healthcare?

Hospitals and clinics should begin by establishing real-time device inventories and risk profiles to identify precisely what is on their networks. Network segmentation and Zero Trust Architecture are very important to stop lateral movement in case of a breach. Specialised IoT security tools made for medical equipment can give you more information and help you find threats than regular antivirus programs.

What should healthcare organisations do to take care of IoT devices?

From the time you buy something until you throw it away, security needs to be built in. Devices must meet specific standards, such as IEC 62443 or ISO/IEC 80001. Contracts with vendors must also make it clear what their responsibilities are for patching and support. While the system is running, it’s essential to do regular risk assessments, update the firmware, and keep an eye on how people use it. When a device is no longer needed, it must be properly decommissioned to prevent future misuse.

How do the readiness of staff and the organisation affect IoT security?

Just having technology won’t keep you safe. Healthcare workers, IT teams, and technicians all need to know how to find security holes and what to do about them. Suppose hospitals have an incident response plan that tells them how to isolate people, how to talk to each other, and how to recover. In that case, they can act quickly when threats happen. Being trained and ready is just as important as having technical defenses.