Healthcare Under Cyberattack: Unprotected Medical IoT Devices Threaten Patient Care

The rising adoption of connected medical devices is accelerating cyberattacks, according to Capterra’s new Medical IoT Survey of healthcare IT professionals. The survey also reveals that 67% of healthcare cyberattacks impact patient data and nearly half impact patient care, an indication that rising security risks in the industry are leading to severe consequences in patient outcomes and privacy.

The medical internet of things is helping to make healthcare more convenient, efficient, and patient-centric. However, connected devices with IoT sensors often have unprotected security vulnerabilities that endanger healthcare facilities, and even patients. In fact, medical practices with more than 70% of their devices connected are 24% more likely to experience a cyberattack than practices with 50% or fewer connected devices.