Cyberattacks targeting medical devices: a cause for concern?

The idea of cyberattacks targeting medical devices is not so much a theory nowadays, but more of a real cause for concern that needs to be addressed.

As specialist Group Action Lawyers, we are used to seeing the harm caused to real people when things go wrong on a large scale. Whilst we are always here to help, prevention is always better than having to deal with the aftermath. As such, hacks and how they apply to an increasingly digitised world is something that we all need to be wary of; especially when it comes to the healthcare sector.

Cyberattacks targeting medical devices: a real threat

The idea of cyberattacks targeting medical devices should be a real cause for concern in today’s digital age. This is more so now we have seen what can happen when the risks rise when we are forced into more remote working and living, which happened in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As a society, we are much more reliant on interconnectivity, and this is creeping into the medical sector as well: as we would expect it to.

Constant monitoring and diagnostics can be key to preventing patients from coming to harm. The idea of connected medical devices that can be accessed or can transfer information from within the body to computers outside of the body is no longer an idea of science fiction. It is a reality, and with the medical sector already a huge target for hackers, there is clearly an opportunity for exploitation.

As cynical as it may sound, it is important to remember that many hackers out there are aiming to make money, and the impact on people’s lives is not necessarily a consideration. Cyberattacks targeting medical devices could lead to medical organisations facing ransom demands to restore equipment and connections. If demands are refused, real people could suffer, and patients’ lives could genuinely be in danger.

If this is not enough to really force governments and healthcare organisations into making absolutely sure that they are safe and protected, we do know what will.

The idea of cyberattacks targeting medical devices is not just a theory or an idea, or even just a worry about something that could happen. The 2017 WannaCry incident, although generally going after softer targets and networks, caused a great deal of damage to our NHS. As part of this, software problems directly affected equipment such as scanners and instruments. If you take something like this and then apply it to how even medical devices can be interconnected to networks nowadays, it is quite easy to see where the risks could be when things go offline or cannot be used.

As with most other aspects of life, more and more of how we go about our business will keep on getting more digitised and more machine reliant. Implanted medical devices are commonly used for a variety of things, and such treatment options remain on the rise. We need to make sure that security rises to the challenges now being faced.

Two particular areas of expertise

Whilst we genuinely hope we will never see the day where an event could put people at harm through attacks targeting medical devices, as experienced lawyers, we can already imagine the impact that could be caused.

As Specialists Group Action Lawyers, we are used to representing thousands of people making compensation claims, and cases we pursue include medical device cases. We have fought for compensation for victims affected by the PIP Implant Scandal, the Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant issues, the Vaginal and Hernia Mesh scandals, and more. In addition, a lot of the group actions that we are pursuing are for data breaches, and these include some of the most severe cyberattacks to have taken place. These include the 2015 TalkTalk hack, the 2017 Equifax Cyberattack, the 2018 British Airways data breaches, and the 2020 easyJet cyberattack.

The thought that we may one day need to combine our expertise is quite worrying. But, as Expert Group Action Lawyers, this is what we are here to do.

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