Palo Alto Networks, a cybersecurity leader, has developed a new Internet-of-Things (IoT) security solution for healthcare.
Palo Alto Networks IoT Security simplifies the task of protecting the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) through visibility, prevention, and compliance-driven by machine learning (ML) while providing deep insights into devices and vulnerabilities unique to healthcare. This helps in improvising data security and patient safety while balancing biomedical engineering and IT teams’ needs.
IoT has not only introduced innovative new services across industries but has also opened gates for unknown cybersecurity risks. This is specifically true in the case of healthcare. A recent report from Unit 42 states about 83% of medical imaging devices are working on unsupported operating systems, thus creating ways for attackers. Hijacking medical devices could potentially affect the quality of care and develop a simplified method for attackers to steal patient data.
“Palo Alto Networks IoT Security is designed to ensure Healthcare Delivery Organisations (HDOs) can realize the benefits of IoT for patient care — without sacrificing security,” the company says.“It is the industry’s only solution to use machine learning and crowd-sourced telemetry to quickly and accurately profile all devices on the network — even those never seen before.”
“IoT Security also offers ML-powered policy recommendations to reduce manual effort; intrusion prevention to block exploits; sandboxing to detect and prevent IoT malware; and URL and DNS security to stop IoT attacks via the web.”
Following new features were added to healthcare and IoMT security solutions:
- MDS2 Document Ingestion: Manufacturer Disclosure Statement for Medical Device Security documents facilitates medical device manufacturers to give out the security-related features of their devices that provide more in-depth vulnerability analysis, tuned anomaly detection with specific recommended policies.
- Operational Insights: Biomedical and clinical engineering teams gain visibility into how, when, and where medical devices on their network are being used through these insights. It supports teams in optimizing resource allocation, makes capital planning decisions, improves patient care, and reduce maintenance costs.
- Expanded IoMT Discovery: App-ID can extend discovery and security for unique IoMT devices and healthcare applications after adding other medical-specific protocols.
“The Internet of Medical Things has the potential to improve healthcare, save lives, and bring massive savings. But if not properly secured, these same devices can pose huge risks,” says Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Firewall as a Platform, Palo Alto Networks.
“Our vision is to give healthcare organizations complete visibility, in-depth risk analysis, and built-in prevention so they can get the maximum benefits from this transformative technology while reducing risks to patients and their data.”
