Why We Need Medical Device Cybersecurity

Network-connected medical devices such as wearables, smartwatches, scanners and health apps pose significant risks to data security yet the healthcare sector still lacks sufficient attention to cybersecurity threats. Despite these devices storing sensitive patient data, the healthcare sector allocates only 4-7% of its budget to cybersecurity compared to other industries’ 15%. The FDA has addressed the issue with Section 524B (Ensuring the Cybersecurity of Devices) added to the FD&C Act, highlighting the urgent need for tighter medical device cybersecurity.