Always connected: The security challenges of the healthcare Internet of Things

In an environment that is only now addressing the security issues of medical devices as a constituent part of IT networks, a new wave of technological development is threatening to swamp healthcare. The Healthcare Internet of Things (HIoT) encompasses the new embedded sensing capabilities of devices together with the availability of always being connected, to improve patient care whilst reducing costs. This development highlights existing security threats as well as creating new vulnerabilities, making the once comprehensive endpoint data transfer frameworks less identifiable and challenging current techniques for information security. This paper reviews the new environment using HIoT, to identify the challenges for security and the impact of this on interoperability in the healthcare setting. Each device and sensor is a potential point of vulnerability for entire networks. The low power design, limited processing and storage capabilities, together with a lack of standard interfaces will also add to the complexity of effective security solutions. Understanding these challenges is vital for anyone engaged in healthcare, as the impact of HIoT will be far-reaching for patients, clinicians, healthcare providers, and healthcare delivery. Making security the enabler of safe and protected data transfer, exchange, and use, is fundamental to using this technology.