Clusit report: the “Healthcare” sector ranks second among the categories most affected by cybercrime, with about 12% of total incursions (+2%, 2020-2021)
The more the diffusion of objects connected to the network (IoT, Internet of things) increases, the more their exposure to cyber attacks multiplies. The Clusit Report of the Italian Association for Computer Security 2022 certifies that the “Healthcare” sector is in second place among the categories most affected by cybercrime with around 12% of total attacks, an increase of 2.2% compared to the previous year .
booming phenomenon
According to Statesmanstatistics web portal, by 2025 there will be in the world q
uasi 75 billion connected IoT devices. The Internet of Things Observatory of the Milan Polytechnic (April 2022) calculates that there are 110 million active connected objects in Italy, just over 1.8 per inhabitant. At the end of 2021 there were 37 million cellular IoT connections (+9% compared to 2020) and 74 million connections enabled by other communication technologies (+25%). In 2021, the IoT market also grew and is worth about 7.5 billion euros, of which about 3 billion euros (equal to 40% of the total) related to services alone, with a +25% compared to 2020.
«The Pnrr (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) provides for a total of 29.78 billion euros dedicated directly or indirectly to the IoT sector: we can therefore imagine a great development in the diffusion of this technology, which will be even more pervasive» write the Cybersecurity professionals of the group in the recent report «Cybersecurity and IoT: how to face the challenges of a connected world» Women for Security (Wfs).
Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
Among the “things” connected to the web we must also include the equipment used in any medical field. «L’Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) o Healthcare Internet of Things (HIoT) è in rapida crescita – explains Beatrice Ridolfi by Women For Security —. In this context, IoT devices are used as medical devices that collect data, which is then provided to healthcare systems through computer networks, thus allowing monitor and track vital performance, and also to activate subsequent actions such as, for example, the administration of drugs”. Some examples of IoMT: intensive care equipment; electrocardiogram or dialysis apparatus; devices related to the management of healthcare personnel, patient flow, drug supplies, and the environment; bracelets and apps for monitoring heart rate and oxygen level up to glucometers that constantly monitor blood glucose levels.
Wrong perception of security
«Every device connected to the network is potentially compromised. A cyber attack on an IoT device, therefore, is by no means a remote possibility, on the contrary, it is a relatively common eventuality», he underlines Sophia Scozzari by Wfs. «The main threat comes from the perception of these devices, which in the general conception they are generally considered as simple objects and not as elements connected to a network, which should be protected like computers and smartphones. This generates an incorrect risk assessment as they are not perceived as potential vectors of attack». Among the most serious attacks which involved healthcare facilities in Italy in 2022, it is worth recalling the one last January to the detriment of theULSS6 Euganea of Padua where hackers came into possession and disseminated 9,300 files of all kinds on the net, including sensitive data on the results of the Covid-19 screening of medical staff, their pay slips, and further reports and diagnoses of patients under treatment.
Or, in early May, the raid that took the portals of every structure managed by theAsst Fatebenefratelli Sacco of Milan (the company that manages the Luigi Sacco, Fatebenefratelli and Oftalmico, Macedonio Melloni hospitals, the Vittore Buzzi children’s hospital and 33 local health and social-health offices). Healthcare personnel have been forced to fall back on paper forms, with inevitable repercussions on patients and on the processes, both diagnostic and administrative, of the hospitals themselves. «Since IoT devices are so widespread and so used in different areas that affect the daily life of all of us, it is therefore of fundamental importance to protect and keep both the devices themselves and the data secure treated by them», concludes Ridolfi.
December 15, 2022 (change December 15, 2022 | 3:44 pm)
© Time.News