Helmer i.Series® equipment manufactured by Helmer Scientific has passed cybersecurity vulnerability testing aligned with Open Web Application Security Project – Mobile Application Security Testing Guide (OWASP – MASTG) and in conformity with UL 2900-2-1 connected medical device cybersecurity standards (https://www.ul.com/news/us-fda-recognizes-ul-2900-2-1-use-premarket-reviews).
Along with this safe connectivity, the Helmer i.C3® Advanced Information Centre is standard on i.Series Fridges, Freezers and Platelet Storage Systems and provides a system status console, an interactive temperature graph, an event log and detail screen with event acknowledgement, automatic alarm testing, and data download and transfer. The data transfer i.C3® centre maintains up to 10 years of historical performance data.
In IBM’s Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index (https://www.ibm.com/reports/threat-intelligence)published in 2023, managing and mitigating cybersecurity risks continues to be a focus point in healthcare systems. The same report ranks the healthcare facilities as one of the top targets for cyberattacks.
Why Are Hospitals Targeted?
Valuable Data: Extremely sensitive personably identifiable data is collected and stored by healthcare facilities. This includes financial information, medical records, social security numbers, etc.
Critical Data: The possibility that hospitals could lose access to critical patient information represents a serious risk to patient safety.
Cost of Disruption: Healthcare facilities, especially hospitals, cannot risk disruption to their ability to care for patients. This makes them more likely to pay the ransom demands of cyber criminals.
Connected Devices: A single facility may have more than 10,000 connected devices.
Cybersecurity Vulnerability: Almost half of U.S.-based hospitals spend less than 6 percent of their IT budgets on cybersecurity.
In 2022, there were an average of 1,463 cyberattacks per week aimed at healthcare facilities around the world. This represents a 74 percent increase over 2021. The majority of these attacks were classified as ransomware attacks.
Data breaches cost healthcare facilities more than $10 million per incident on average.
Responsibility for cybersecurity extends beyond the IT department. All departments that utilise connected devices are accountable for managing and maintaining cybersecurity best practices.
Preventing unauthorised access to patient and facility data promotes patient safety and reduces the legal and financial risks associated with data breaches.
Choosing equipment that meets recognised cybersecurity standards is one step in the prevention of cybersecurity threats. For further information on the Helmer i.C3® Advanced Information Centre fitted as standard on all i.Series products please visit https://www.helmerinc.com/helmer-products
By Brandon Russell
Senior Marketing Manager