How to Ensure Security in Connected Health Solutions

The accelerated adoption of connected health solutions amid the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has caught the attention of hackers, who are targeting healthcare technology at an alarming rate. According to an article in Healthcare IT News, mentions of telehealth keywords on the dark web and deep web increased by 144% in early March, signaling that bad actors were looking to tap in to connected devices used in telehealth and remote monitoring for malicious attacks.  

As connected health adoption grows, it’s critical that IoT security is built in at the outset of solution design and deployment. With the right safeguards in place, it’s possible to secure connected devices used throughout healthcare segments, including telehealth, remote monitoring, and decentralized clinical trials.

Securing Devices

Securing devices is an integral part of protecting IoT solutions for connected health. A comprehensive mobile device management (MDM) solution can help organizations remotely monitor, secure, and control IoT devices.  

For the healthcare industry, it’s important to choose a mobile device management solution that is tailored to the industry’s unique patient privacy and security requirements. MDM solutions can be customized for smartphones and tablets deployed in connected health use cases such as remote patient monitoring and decentralized clinical trials, which don’t operate in a single-custodialship model.  

Securing Networks

Connecting mobile devices used in healthcare directly to public networks is too great a risk for today’s connected health deployments. Virtual private networks (VPNs) secures connections by extending private networks out to cellular connected mobile devices.

Software-defined networking (SDN) technology offers many advantages to the world of connected health, providing greater end-to-end security and performance than traditional private networks. According to Network World, SDNs offer security benefits by enabling a network connection to be split between the data center and end user, with unique security settings for each segment.

Monitoring Traffic

Network monitoring solutions help healthcare enterprises secure their IoT connections by providing diagnostic and troubleshooting tools that secure network traffic on the device level. Such network monitoring solutions, like KORE SecurityPro, should include features such as real-time traffic monitoring, visibility into multiple conditions, endpoint management, reporting, and rules with automated actions.

Rule-based alerts and automated actions can protect devices and transmitted data from anomalies, threats, misconfigured firmware, stolen SIMs, and other risks. This actionable intelligence can protect IoT devices from potential threats, reducing costs and mitigating risk. 

Reducing Risk in Connected Health

Risk is inherent in IoT solutions, and connected health intended to share and communicate data is no different. Because of the sensitive nature of connected health data, security must be top-of-mind as more healthcare companies look to deploy new connected health solutions for telehealth, remote patient monitoring, clinical drug trials, and more.

Visibility into device and network behavior is critical to secure connected health devices and protect sensitive data. KORE offers security solutions that provide the visibility needed to manage IoT devices and prevent embarrassing and costly data breaches.

Download the eBook, Security by Design for the Internet of Things, to learn about how building in security by design at the outset can truly help deliver secure, future-proofed connected health solutions.