IoT Security in Healthcare - IoT for Security and More

Enhance your healthcare security and compliance by learning about IoT security in healthcare.

“IoT security in healthcare is the protection of interconnected devices, their associated data, and the physical infrastructure supporting it.”

In the race to become more digital, accessible, and convenient, the healthcare industry went through a passage of evolution incorporating technologies like IoT, AI, and whatnot. This passage helped achieve the earlier aim, but it opened ways to issues like cyber attacks, medical device tampering, interoperability within systems, regulatory challenges, etc. Additionally, the inefficient application of IoT was creating challenges, and physical threats like unauthorized access, vandalism, theft, etc., remained a pressing issue.

IoT healthcare security, as a concept, emerged to give way to the strategic implementation of IoT, which tackles vulnerabilities that can potentially create hazards.

So, to understand this critical concept, we created this editorial that covers the security benefits of IoT in healthcare, IoT vulnerabilities, possible implementations of IoT for different issues, important compliances, and other related data.

Healthcare IoT Security Market - Assessing the Current State

IoT in the healthcare industry is a massive market. However, IoT healthcare security is still growing slowly. So, below, we have mentioned stats that showcase the need for growth and stats that directly or indirectly impact the domain. 

• The IoT healthcare security market is expected to grow to 0.71 billion by the end of 2025 from 0.59 billion in 2024.
• FBI reported that 53% of IoT medical devices are under critical threat.
• In 2024, 92% of healthcare organizations faced at least one cyber attack.
• Last year, the average cost of a compromise was $4.74 million.
• In 2024, around 45.6 million healthcare records were compromised.
• The industry of wearable devices that also includes patient monitoring sensors is growing at a decent speed at a CAGR of 17.3% between 2025 and 2029.
• The industry of electronic health records (EHRs) is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.8% between 2024 to 2029.
• The IoT Medical Devices market will be seeing rapid growth with a CAGR of 27.97% between 2025 and 2034.
• The remote patient monitoring market is showcasing significant growth between 2025 and 2034, displaying a CAGR of 34.94%.

Benefits of IoT Security in Healthcare

IoT and healthcare complement each other from the perspective of both digital and physical security. Here are some benefits to prove the power of their combination.

1. Real-Time Alerts: IoT-enabled devices are capable of monitoring the patients 24*7. They can provide real-time data on vital signs, providing two-way alerts for emergencies like heart attacks or strokes.
2. Fall Detection: Elderly patients are much more likely to fall, considering their physical health deteriorates with age. However, wearable sensors can detect a fall and automatically notify caregivers or emergency services in such situations.
3. Medication Adherence: Currently in the market, we have smart pill bottles and connected inhalers. These devices can track the medication and send reminders if the requirements of consuming a medication haven’t been adhered to.
4. Remote Monitoring and Management: IoT platforms are capable of monitoring the performance and security status of medical devices. This helps with early detection of any possible vulnerability or cyber attack.
5. Software Updates and Patches: IoT-enabled medical devices can be patched or updated through a wire or wirelessly for security fixes and protection against vulnerabilities.
6. Prevention of Unauthorized Access: IoT solutions can be implemented with strong encryption and authentication mechanisms like MFA, ensuring no unauthorized access happens.
7. Access Control: It is possible to restrict access to sensitive areas by restricting access to IoT devices.
8. Surveillance and Monitoring: Connected cameras and sensors are able to detect healthcare facilities for deterring theft, vandalism, and unauthorized access.
9. Environmental Monitoring: IoT sensors can be regulated for temperature, humidity, and air quality in critical areas. This ensures optimum conditions and prevention of contamination.
10. Tracking and Tracing: To create a sustainable supply chain in healthcare, IoT sensors can be used to track the location and condition of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.
11. Temperature Monitoring: There are several medical supplies that are temperature-sensitive. IoT sensors can be used to monitor and regulate the temperature to sustain their shelf life.
12. Data Encryption: Healthcare has tonnes of sensitive patient data. So, it is important to protect data during transit and rest. IoT devices and platforms allow the encryption of this sensitive data, protecting it from any unauthorized access.
13. Securing Data Storage: Regulations like HIPAA and GDPR compel healthcare institutions to ensure the secure storage of patient data, which can be facilitated through IoT.
14. Consent Management: IoT systems make it possible for patients to easily manage their data privacy preferences and control who has access to their information.
15. Connected Ambulance: IoT-enabled ambulances are capable of transmitting real-time patient data to hospitals en route. This allows the medical staff to make necessary preparations before arrival and provide efficient care.
16. Remote Triage: Telehealth platforms and connected devices are able to enable remote triage in situations of emergency. This helps prioritize patients and allocate resources efficiently.
17. Intrusion Detection: Healthcare systems are prone to intrusion from hackers. IoT security solutions can monitor network traffic, and if it finds a suspicious activity, it can notify the relevant authorities.
18. Threat Intelligence: IoT platforms are capable of collecting and analyzing data from multiple sources. This helps in identifying and predicting emerging cyber threats to enable proactive security measures.

Key Strategies Implemented for IoT Healthcare Security

The power of IoT in itself is not always sufficient to secure an infrastructure end-to-end. Instead, it requires strategic implementation. Here are some of the strategies that are now used alongside IoT.

• Zero Trust Security: It is a framework that assumes that no user or device can be inherently trusted. So, everyone requires a verification to gain access to every access point.
• AI-Powered Threat Detection: Advanced systems that use machine learning to identify anomalies and any potential threat in real time.
• Blockchain for Data Integrity: The use of blockchain provides secure sharing of patient information and data immutability.
• Federated Learning: The approach delivers collaborative model training without sharing any sensitive patient data.
• Enhanced Device Authentication: Utilization of multi-factor authentication and biometric verification for IoT medical devices.
• Robust Data Encryption: Encryption of data at transit and rest.
• Regular Security Audits: Continuous monitoring and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential weaknesses.
• Cybersecurity Training: Training for recognizing and responding to cyber threats.
• Collaboration and Information Sharing: Healthcare organizations share threat intelligence and best practices to improve overall security. 

IoT Vulnerabilities in Healthcare - Addressing Issues + Fix Through IoT

A real assessment of IoT and healthcare security can’t be made unless we first try to understand the security challenges that come in between. Addressing them, we have covered some common vulnerabilities of IoT along with possible solutions that can be provided.

IoT Vulnerabilities:

Here are some of the most common IoT vulnerabilities in healthcare and attacks that alert institutions to enhance security.

1. Data Breaches

Over the years, massive data breaches have occurred in the healthcare industry. The core issue is that IoT connects the medical infrastructure to a network, which can remain vulnerable without necessary precautions. So, here are some attacks that happened in the past because of this vulnerability:

1. Shields Healthcare Group Data Breach: This happened in March 2022, impacting around 2 million people. The company behind didn’t acknowledge data compromise in its incident report. However, it was reported that the private network accessed by the cyber attackers had personal data like names, social security numbers, birth dates, and other similar information.
2. Morley Companies Data Breach: In February 2022, around 521,046 patient records were hit by this data breach. The company was attacked using ransomware resulting in the exposure of individual records.
3. Trinity Health: In May 2020, Trinity Health became a victim of a ransomware attack. The patient data that was compromised included 3.3 million patients.

2. Medical Device Vulnerabilities

Medical devices bring a lot of convenience to our lives. Devices like infusion pumps, implantable cardiac devices (ICDs), wearables, smart pens, etc., are widely used in healthcare for various use cases. However, being a part of IoT makes them vulnerable to attacks because of its interconnected nature. Some real incidents that share the same story are:

1. Pacemakers: The incident happened in 2017 when Abbott recalled thousands of pacemakers. Why? They were vulnerable and could be hacked by hackers to deplete their battery or for alternate pacing. 
2. Hospital Networks and Connected Devices: A widespread ransomware attacks on UK’s National Health Service (NHS). While it was not a direct attack on the device, it showcased vulnerabilities in connected medical devices and hospital networks. The attack happened in 2017 and included 60 NHS trusts.
3. Medtronic MiniMed Insulin Pump: In 2022, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) alerted the company about a security vulnerability. The vulnerability allowed hackers to access the insulin pump remotely.

3. Unauthorized Access and Insider Threats

Tackling both unauthorized access and insider threats can lead to critical data leaks. It happens when someone with the privilege to access the data accesses it without authorization. This can lead to data breaches and exposure of critical patient data. Some incidents that revolve around this are:

1. South Georgia Medical Center (2021): An employee who resigned from the company, on the last day, downloaded patient data on a USB drive. This led to the leak of patient names, test results, and birth dates.
2. DCH Health System (2023): An employee got terminated for accessing over 2,000 patient records. 
3. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health System (2011): Another incident that happened years earlier where medical records of celebrities were accessed without authorization, resulting in the termination of the employee that did that.

4. Physical Security Threats

There are plenty of physical security threats that impact healthcare. Some common examples include theft and vandalism, workplace violence, environmental hazards, etc. Here are some real incidents that happened in the past:

1. Infant Abduction: It is quite surprising but true that hospitals are vulnerable to infant abductions. In fact, in 2019, a woman disguised as a nurse tried to abduct a newborn from the hospital in California. It didn’t happen because the staff intervened; however, it is a critical issue.
2. Equipment Theft: In 2024, unidentified people got inside the SMS Medical College (Thane, India) and stole medical equipment worth INR 53,61,000, which translates to $61,472.84 on Feb 5, 2025. 
3. Hospital Shooting: In June 2022, a gunman started open firing at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this incident, four people were killed, and after that, the shooter took his own life.

5. Supply Chain Risks

Supply chain risks are significant in healthcare. They can impact patient care, safety, and even the financial stability of the institution. 

There are several types of supply chain risks, such as disruption and shortages, counterfeits and substandard products, cybersecurity risks, lack of visibility and traceability, etc. Some incidents that exposed these vulnerabilities are:

1. COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2023): The incidents highlighted multiple vulnerabilities in the healthcare supply chain worldwide. A widespread shortage of PPE, ventilators, testing supplies, and even medication happened, overwhelming the healthcare systems with delayed procedures and increased risks to both workers and patients.
2. Counterfeit Medicines: The FDA in 2019 warned about counterfeit versions of the cancer drug Avastin, which was being distributed in the US.
3. NotPetya Malware: A ransomware attack that affected several pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations, disrupting their operations.

Fixes By IoT:

Implementation of IoT healthcare security and effective implementation of it are two different things. While ineffective implementation of IoT could lead to infrastructure vulnerability in many cases, effective implementation creates security walls that are hard to breach. 

Creating a robust perspective around that, here are some ways earlier issues can be addressed through IoT security in healthcare.

1. IoT for Data Breaches

Connected systems like IoT are one of the biggest challenges that need to be tackled to avoid data breaches in healthcare. Here’s what IoT can do to protect that data from breaches.

• IoT devices can utilize MFA (multi-factor authentication) to protect against any unauthorized access.
• It is possible to encrypt IoT data in transit and at rest. So, even if the data gets intercepted, the data remains encrypted.
• IoT can be programmed for granular access controls based on role and responsibilities. 
• By using IoT, it is possible to analyze data for anomalies by integrating it with an AI system.
• IoT can create data logs for auditing, tracking who accesses what type of data and when.

2. IoT for Medical Device Security 

Medical device security is another very important use case. In fact, a previous year's report states that IoT medical devices will be seeing growth between 25-30% in the next five years. So, IoT will play a dramatic role in ensuring the state of medical devices security. Some common ways it will be helpful are:

• Continuous monitoring of connected medical devices to bring out vulnerabilities and push security updates remotely.
• IoT devices can be made tamper-proof by creating individual authorizations.
• IoT can operate on a separate network, protecting critical systems from potential intrusion.
• Strong authentication methods, like MFA, can be used with IoT.

3. IoT for Unauthorized Access Prevention 

Unauthorized access is common in healthcare institutions. In fact, there have been several instances in the past (some discussed above) where PHIs were leaked. One of the solutions that can be applied for enhanced security is IoT. It can add that layer of security required and provide aid during emergencies. For example:

• IoT devices and systems can use MFA to put additional layers of verification such as passwords, biometric scans, security tokens, etc.
• IoT can enforce RBAC or Role-Based Access Control to limit access to data and systems on a user’s role and responsibilities.
• An authentication mechanism can be implemented between the IoT device and the network.
• IoT systems can be implemented for location-based access control, preventing any unauthorized access to sensitive data or systems.
• Access to employees can be revoked or changed if an employee leaves the organization or gets enrolled for a different position in the same organization.
• IoT systems can be used to notify relevant authorities in times of detectable unauthorized access.

4. IoT for Physical Security

Physical security is another big issue. There are tonnes of physical security issues like on-premise violence, vandalism, theft, tailgating, natural disasters, etc. So, implementing IoT to help mitigate the same can come in handy during such abrupt situations. Let’s explore some potential IoT applications for enhancing physical security:

• IoT-enabled locks can be used in sensitive areas like server rooms, medication storage, or patient record areas.
• IoT-connected cameras and sensors can be used to monitor real-time activity, and this combination can even deter crime.
• Environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and air quality can be monitored and moderated using IoT sensors.
• IoT tags can be used to track valuable pieces of equipment in real time, preventing both theft and misplacement.
• For emergencies, IoT devices can be integrated with systems that automatically notify first responders.

5. IoT for Supply Chain Security

Supply chain security is another necessary use case. Issues in the supply chain can delay patient operations, affect the inventory of medicine negatively, and even impact organizational workflow. Therefore, it is important that every healthcare institution proactively keep its supply chain hassle-free. So, throwing light on some applications of IoT that can help achieve the same are:

• IoT can help track goods in real-time, providing visibility of location, movement, and the condition of the shipment.
• For high-value or sensitive goods, IoT can be implemented to know if the product or container has been tampered with.
• Environment-sensitive shipments can be protected by using IoT sensors to moderate the environment for temperature, humidity, and light exposure.
• IoT can be used to manage the inventory for real-time visibility of stock levels, reduced risk of stockout or overstocking, and better efficiency.
• Implementation of IoT with the combination of AI can be used to predict the stock filling requirements in the future.

Regulations in IoT Healthcare Mandating Security

In healthcare being compliant as per relevant compliances is critical. And, if you are combining IoT and healthcare, the number of relevant compliances to adhere to increases. Below, we have mentioned some of those critical compliances.

1. HIPAA

HIPAA or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was enacted in the year 1996. It ensured the privacy and security of Patient Health Information (PHI), i.e., confidential documents. The act was brought by the United States and has been the sole reason behind the revolution that happened in data handling in healthcare. 

2. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

GDPR operates within the European Union (EU), a big market for IoT healthcare-related products and services. So, even if you are a vendor from India supplying your services in the EU, you need to adhere to it to be compliant in the region. 

GDPR’s core focus is on protecting the privacy of individuals’ personal data, including health data. It demands IoT systems to only collect data that is necessary so that the risk of breaches is minimized. It also gives users the right to access, rectify, or erase their data.

3. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Regulations

FDA is another important regulation that ensures the safety and effectiveness of medical devices including the ones connected to IoT. The regulation also applies to the software used in IoT-enabled medical devices and has its own guidelines for cybersecurity for medical devices.

4. State-Specific Privacy Laws

There are many states all around the world that have their local privacy laws for healthcare. Healthcare organizations that integrate IoT security measures need to be aware of the amendments made and comply with them to operate in the region. Some examples are:

1. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
2. California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA)
3. Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)
4. New York Privacy Act

5. Industry Standards

Industry standards are important to mitigate healthcare IoT vulnerabilities. These standards make sure that interoperability, security, and quality are carried out while developing IoT devices and their systems. Some key standards in this area are:

1. IEEE 11073 (Personal Health Data)
2. ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management Systems)
3. NIST Cybersecurity Framework
4. Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) Standards
5. HL7 (Health Level Seven) Standards

6. Telemedicine Regulations

Telemedicine is a relatively new niche that has emerged in healthcare. It makes the delivery of healthcare services using telecommunication technology possible. Some of the key regulations followed for it, aside from HIPAA, are:

1. DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) Regulations
2. FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Act
3. State-Specific Telemedicine Laws (For example, Texas Medical Board rules and regulations)

IoT and Healthcare - Case Studies to Unravel Compliance and Security Benchmarks

The beauty of following compliances is that adhering to them automatically makes your IoT infrastructure secure. So, here are some similar case studies where the implementation of IoT offered physical security, digital security, improved operational efficiency, and adherence to compliance. 

Note: None of these case studies have revealed the compliances they have achieved. So, to give you a speculative standpoint, we tried to figure out the possible compliances that may have been achieved upon implementation.

1. The Paceart Optima® System: A Central System for Improved Patient Care

Overview: CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center upgraded to Paceart Optima System for managing their cardiac device patients. The center handles 90-100 patient follow-ups daily and monitors approximately 4,300 patients across 14 clinics. The device utilizes technologies like wireless communication, cloud computing, etc., and collects data from pacemaker devices, defibrillators, etc.

Impact:

• 4,300 patients were monitored in real-time through EMR integration.
• 90% of patients got remote monitoring.
• Improvement in follow-ups by 11% in 3 months.
• Secure data flow across the organization.
• Elimination of physical storage

Compliance Achieved (Speculation):

• HIPAA
• FDA Medical Device Reporting (MDR) regulations
• CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Documentation
• Electronic Health Records (EHR) Meaningful Use Requirements
• FDA 21 CFR Part 11
• Medical QSR (Quality System Regulation)

2. Omada Health

Overview: Omada Health is a virtual care provider. The company started in the year 2011 and has been helping its patients with chronic conditions like prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, and musculoskeletal conditions. They serve around 1 million patients through their digital health interventions and connected devices. The system comprises multiple connected devices, mobile applications, web portals, etc.

Impact:

• Integration of CommonWell & Carequality networks for data privacy.
• 1M+ enrolled patients shared real-time BP & glucose levels.
• 25M+ secure message exchanges between patients and teams.
• Remote patient management reduced hospital exposure.
• Digitization of records minimized the risk of loss or tampering.
• Connected devices like smart BP monitors, glucose meters, and scales reduce manual errors.

Compliance Achieved (Speculation):

• HIPAA
• NCQA
• URAC
• IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvements) Standards
• CommonWell Health Alliance and Carequality Compliance
• Interoperability Compliance
• Clinical Standards Compliance
• CPT Code Billing Compliance

3. Phillips Cellular IoT for Medical Devices

Overview: Implementation of Cellular IoT (particularly 4G and 5G) in medical devices to create connected healthcare solutions. The main focus is on using LTE-M and NB-IoT technologies to create secure and reliable remote patient monitoring and care delivery.

Impact:

• Utilization of LTE-M & NB-IoT with encrypted end-to-end communication.
• HTTPS & CoAPs delivered better security for medical devices.
• 4G/5G connectivity ensured uninterrupted data transfer.
• Reduced packet loss and real-time healthcare insights.
• Continuous tracking of patients reduces hospital visits.
• Secure chips are used to protect medical devices from unauthorized access.

Compliance Achieved (Speculation):

• FDA Medical Device Regulations
• HIPAA
• GDPR
• FCC (Federal Communications Commission) Regulations
• IEC 60601-1 (Medical Electrical Equipment Safety)
• ISO 14971 (Medical Device Risk Management)
• MDR (Medical Device Regulation - EU)
• Quality System Compliance
• Telecommunication Standards

IoT Challenges in Healthcare - Reasons Behind Losing Security, Compliance, and More

IoT as a technology can pose several challenges for the adopter to be compliance-ready. And if any attack happens on the connected IoT system, it potentially breaches multiple compliances. Also, there are other reasons that make the implementation of IoT in healthcare difficult. Addressing both, here are some important associated challenges that are evolving and some that are persistent.

1. Data Privacy and Security

IoT devices are capable of collecting and transmitting tonnes of sensitive patient data. And with the IT ecosystem evolving, there are new threats emerging every once in a while. For instance, despite stakeholders in the industry having conversations around IoT security in healthcare, the  HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool recorded a total of 677 major data breaches affecting 182.4 million people last year.

2. Interoperability

IoT is essentially a network of connected devices so it uses different communication protocols and data formats. This makes it very difficult to integrate every protocol and format within the existing legacy healthcare system. In fact, there have been instances where companies have struggled to integrate their EHR with wearable devices.

3. Regulatory Compliance

There are newer compliances that are forming, addressing new requirements for use cases like protecting sensitive data, user privacy, emerging threats, etc. So being compliant for every new compliance that will be released in the future, will add additional challenges. A good example of this would be GDPR, which was released in 2018 but despite being Europe-centric, it gained prominence all around the world.

Additionally, compliances are always evolving. For instance, the use of IoT and AI in healthcare is prevalent. However, the regulatory landscape around AI is still evolving. So, the IoT companies that are using AI in healthcare have to get compliant with the new regulations and make relevant changes as per them, in the future.

4. Cost

Implementing IoT in healthcare can incur significant costs. In fact, some system implementations can cross the barrier of $1 million. So, it is another significant challenge that becomes a hurdle in the adoption of the technology.

5. Other Challenges

• Technical Expertise: IoT as a tech became prominent in early 2010. So, finding experts who can implement, manage, and maintain IoT systems is not always possible, especially in healthcare.
• Ethical Considerations: IoT in healthcare raises ethical considerations like patient autonomy and informed consent. 
• Awareness: There are healthcare organizations that operate in smaller cities that may not be aware of the regulatory requirements for IoT solutions.
• Failure to Monitor Compliance: Some organizations don’t have a process to monitor ongoing developments in the compliance realm.

How Can MobileAppDaily Help with IoT in Healthcare?

IoT in healthcare is a niche of its own. It comprises many facets like “What is IoT,” “IoT Trends,” “Impact of IoT on Businesses,” etc. So, as a business person, it is important to find a credible source that can provide all this data in a single space, and that is what we do.

At MobileAppDaily, our aim is to create a single-point resource for our tech-driven audience, who are constantly looking for answers. For that, through our in-depth research, we try to provide a variety of content on top product reports, top companies reports, editorials, exclusive interviews, web stories, and whatnot. With our dedication, we want to create a symbiotic relationship with our audience where they help us grow, and we help them succeed.

Wrapping Up!

As a technology, IoT has so much to offer, from remote patient monitoring that secures patient health to camera sensors that detect any sort of physical threat. Giving up this power would be foolish. However, with the help of IoT security in healthcare, not only will we be able to cover up current pitfalls just by changing the mindset of implementation, but we will also be compliant in the process. Saying this, we hope we may have been able to educate you about the topic. And for more such resources, you can check out our articles on IoT, to aggregate more knowledge.