The health of your building: A discussion on building systems vulnerabilities in healthcare

“Smart” technology is being used in almost every industry (and a large portion of households) due to benefits like ease of use, precision, and safety. Unfortunately, “the rate of Internet connections is outpacing companies’ abilities to secure them” states HealthcareITNews.

A third of all US data breaches happen in hospitals, making healthcare the most cyber-targeted industry. Medical information and health research data fetch a high price on the black market — as much as $1,000 per record (compared to $1 for a social security number and $110 for credit card details). Cybercriminals are seeking extremely valuable patient health information, credit card information, and intellectual property found in healthcare databases.

As hospitals and other healthcare technology continues to advance, building automation and smart building technology is most vulnerable to cybercrime because they are usually the least protected assets. This includes medical devices, laboratories, pharmacies, parking garages, blood banks, door/room security, IV monitors, etc. All of these make up the IoMT, Internet of Medical Things.

In addition, healthcare facilities are also open to vulnerabilities through traditional, operational building systems like HVACs, fire alarm systems, digital signage, elevators, water or electric meters, lighting, and many more.