Implantable Medical Devices; Networking Security Survey

Abstract The industry of implantable medical devices (IMDs) is constantly evolving, which is dictated by the pressing need to comprehensively address new challenges in the healthcare field. Accordingly, IMDs are becoming more and more sophisticated. Not long ago, the range of IMDs' technical capacities was expanded, making it possible to establish Internet connection in case of necessity and/or emergency situation for the patient. At the same time, while the web connectivity of today's implantable devices is rather advanced, the issue of equipping the IMDs with sufficiently strong security system remains unresolved. In fact, IMDs have relatively weak security mechanisms which render them vulnerable to cyber-attacks that compromise the quality of IMDs' functionalities. This study revolves around the security deficiencies inherent to three types of sensor-based medical devices; biosensors, insulin pump systems and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Manufacturers of these devices should take into consideration that security and effectiveness of the functionality of implants is highly dependent on the design. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of IMDs' architecture and specifically investigate their vulnerabilities at networking interface