White Hat Hackers Defend Hospitals From Rising Cyber Attacks

The field of radiology is littered with cyber mines. And it only gets worse. Legacy imaging systems are associated with photo archiving and communication systems (PACS), which can be combined with digital scientific recording (EMR) systems and excellent IT systems as hospitals increasingly move toward the company's imaging systems. These are breathtaking targets for hackers. The situation is getting worse as a result of great intentions.

One of them is prolonging the existence of old money storage devices. The other is patient involvement. Inspired by the use of victims' needs, companies have created a variety of patient portals, in addition to federal "good use" guidelines, to access their data faster.

"This is where there is real vulnerability," Krishna Kurapati said in February at the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2017 meeting.

Kurapati, CEO of QliqSOFT, a provider of friendly messages to doctors and nurses, said victim portals are usually tightly integrated with the EMR system. This makes the patient's portal a high target for hackers.

Attacks On Imaging

Outdated imaging hardware and outdated scientific IT systems are unhindered targets. These systems, often operating for many years after their projected lifetimes serve as "key drivers" for cybercriminals. These are weak links that hackers can use to break into systems in the scientific record era.

What makes them vulnerable is that they rely on legacy operating systems (OSs) such as Windows NT and XP that lack modern security. Even attacks using older malware such as Conficker can be victorious.

Computer Virus Conficker, which took advantage of vulnerabilities in early versions of Windows, was first discovered in 2008. Alex Wirth said, "It almost disappeared in early 2009, but in healthcare, we see it frequently because of outdated systems." Symantec Health System Architect who spoke at HIMSS 2017.

OSes, such as NT and XP, are no longer ready for security vulnerabilities. The previous working machine made the C-arm X-Ray machine vulnerable, as revealed by data from TrapX Security, a cybersecurity company. In this example, a security employer detected malware on a backdoor on a Windows XP X-ray workstation. The attacker's intention was to steal information about TrapX as well as the victim.

The attack was the only one in the oncology department of the Institute of Medicine. Each attack targeted diagnostic devices running older Windows. As TrapX reports, they are "quite vulnerable and do not perform any kind of cyber defense to detect endpoints."

In one attack, a hacker gained access to a medical facility through a backdoor in an X-ray gadget running Windows NT. The specific attack was prevented through TrapX, which created the PACS trap device. This bait convinced the attacker that the hack was successful. TrapX detected malware on the back door on an MRI machine running an unexpected OS.

Makejacking For Dollars

Devices susceptible to this "medjacking" include PET and CT scanners as well as infusion pumps, scientific lasers, ventilators, and dialysis machines. The common denominator is their previous OS.

According to Wirth, medjackers can be politicians or disgruntled employees. But they are usually money-driven cybercriminals.

Patient information can usually be purchased on the black market for credit card amounts. However, cybercriminals are not required to borrow facts about victims. They can hack a statistical system, encrypt data, and then charge for decrypting them. This form of attack, called ransomware, is growing in popularity.

According to the US Department of Justice, ransomware attacks on all industries, not just healthcare, quadrupled from 1,000 per day in 2015 and 4,000 per day in 2016. Malware is typically distributed via "spear-phishing", where an insecure man or woman on the network opens an email from a man who appears to be but not a recognized character.

And not all older systems are X-ray machines or scanners. According to Jamie Clifton, director of product control at Bridgehead Software, many are remnants of PACS or IT upgrades. Installers of large green IT systems cannot or do not want to transfer all recordings to a new device, Clifton told Imaging Tech.

Overall Risk Rises

The risk of cyberattacks is growing with the rising popularity of ransomware. This particularly insidious type of cyberattack encrypts rather than steals patient data. After successfully infecting a system, typically by enticing an employee to click on an e-mail carrying malware, cybercriminals encrypt patient data then demand payment for its decryption.

Standing up to such an attack takes planning, according to Symantec. At HIMSS 2017, the cybersecurity company — through sponsored speakers — advised backing up computers and servers regularly so that replacement data is available; securing mapped network drives with a password and access controls; downloading the latest patches and plug-ins for operating systems to boost security against known malware; and using an e-mail security product to ward off spam e-mails that may contain malicious attachments.

Enterprise Weaknesses

As in its postmarket cybersecurity steerage through the FDA, postmarket management of cyberspace in medical devices includes "separate networked PC structures such as networked diagnostic tools, software programs that are prone to cyberspace threats".

This vulnerability, according to an announcement released earlier this year with FDA assistance, "will increase as clinical gadgets become more and more connected to the Internet, sanatorium networks, and other medical devices."

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Overall risk increases

The increasing popularity of ransomware is causing the threat of cyberattacks. In this particularly insidious attempt of cyberattack, the priority is to steal the information of the affected people. After successfully infecting a device, usually with the help of an attractive employee who clicks on an email containing malware, cybercriminals encrypt the facts of the affected person, then demand a price for his decryption.

Standing up for such an attack makes plans tailored to Symantec. In HIMSS 2017, cybersecurity business enterprises - through sponsored audio systems - were suggested to back up computers and servers so that replacement data is available; this secured networked drives mapped with a password and gaining access to control. They also suggested downloading modern-day patches and plug-ins for working structures to strengthen security as opposed to accepted malware. Also, they suggest the use of an e-mail security product to keep junk mail away, which may contain malicious attachments.

Understanding Risk

While there may be no sure way to preserve the records or scientific structures of a person affected by a cyberattack, there can be a great deal to preserve attackers in the Gulf or, at least, the damage they do.

In his HIMSS presentation, Wirth encouraged five steps to progress. First, identify assets and hazards. Second, to defend against cyber threats by using school bodies of workers and putting them in shielding technology. Next, the demonstrations continually reveal how the attacks occurred. Fourth, plan a response to minimize the impact of an attack. And finally, plan to recover from an attack.