With the number of healthcare-targeted cyberattacks on the rise, it’s critical to build security into medical devices from the start, asserts a new report.

The cost of inaction, starting with something as obvious as email security, can be steep for healthcare organizations. It’s also becoming more critical to outsmart cybercriminals by protecting connected medical equipment. For example, according to industry reports, the FDA said that several Medtronics’ insulin glucose pumps (now recalled) could have been remotely taken over and induced to mis-perform, leading to dangerous healthcare consequences. Hardening these devices needs to start on the assembly line, and continue throughout the supply chain, from the processors and components inside the devices, to the software updated over the air.

Cybersecurity risks extend to patient safety as well. For example, if an iWatch or similar personal health monitoring device falsely indicates that a person’s heartbeat is too slow or too fast, the worst that can happen is that the patient may get needlessly worried.

Read the full article on Electrical Products & Technology.