The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) has issued an alert regarding security flaws in Siemens’ molecular imaging devices. According to ICS-CERT, Siemens has identified four vulnerabilities in molecular imaging products running on Windows 7 and is currently preparing updates for the affected devices.
Siemens officials are reporting vulnerabilities in the following devices:
- Siemens PET/CT systems: All Windows 7-based versions
- Siemens SPECT/CT systems: All Windows 7-based versions
- Siemens SPECT systems: All Windows 7-based version
- Siemens SPECT Workplaces/Symbia.net: All Windows 7-based versions
According to ICS-CERT: “Siemens is preparing updates for the affected products and recommends protecting network access to the molecular imaging products with appropriate mechanisms. It is advised to run the devices in a dedicated network segment and protected IT environment.”
If such actions are not possible, Siemens officials advise the following:
- “If patient safety and treatment is not at risk, disconnect the product from the network and use in standalone mode.”
- “Reconnect the product only after the provided patch or remediation is installed on the system. Siemens is able to patch systems capable of Remote Update Handling (RUH) much faster by remote software distribution compared to onsite visits. Therefore users of RUH-capable equipment are recommended to clarify the situation concerning patch availability and remaining risk in the local customer network with the Siemens Customer Care Center first and then to reconnect the systems in order to receive patches as quickly as possible via RUH.”
What’s more, Siemens officials also recommend that users have appropriate backups and system restoration procedures. For specific patch and remediation guidance information, ICS-CERT recommends contacting a local Siemens customer service engineer or Siemens regional support center.
More information can also be found here.
