AHA Comments on Security of Legacy Medical Devices

Legacy medical devices are “a key vulnerability for hospitals and health systems,” related to cybersecurity, and device “manufacturers must support end-users in providing a secure environment for safe patient care,” AHA today told leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. “This support should include wrapping security precautions around these devices, adding security tools and auditing capabilities where possible, conducting regular updates and patching all software, and communicating security vulnerabilities quickly through consistent channels,” AHA said in response to a committee request for information on how best to keep medical devices secure over their useful lifetimes. Among other comments, AHA said that the Food and Drug Administration must make clear that security measures to protect legacy devices are required, not optional. “As a regulator, the FDA has a leadership role in creating expectations that manufacturers proactively minimize risk by building security into products by design, providing security tools to their end-users, and updating and patching devices as new intelligence and threats emerge,” AHA said.