Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1300216
p. 8 Securing of the Networked Medical Device Along with network encryption and authentication, there are other security components to consider in keeping the device itself safe from threats propagating through the network. Hardware Root of Trust Because of the potential vulnerability of IoMT devices, there's a strong need for a robust, secure system surrounding them. Roots of trust (RoT), in general, refer to highly- reliable hardware, firmware, and software components that perform critical security functions. In order to be trusted, these components must be secure themselves. Embedding an RoT within the hardware ensures only signed and trusted software images are loaded on the device. This is the first defense from a malicious hacker loading suspect software on a device. Firewall Basically, a firewall is a barrier designed to prevent hackers from accessing secured, sensitive, vital information. By placing a firewall function within your device, it increases the trust level of network connections and potential attacks can be prevented. OTA Updates An OTA (over-the-air) update is a method for remotely performing software or firmware updates to connected devices. Because many IoMT systems are large and spread out, performing manual security updates to individual devices is ineffective and unrealistic. It simply doesn't scale well to widely-dispersed or high numbers of devices. A strong OTA update mechanism can facilitate keeping devices updated with the latest security fixes and is valuable in regard to Wi-Fi security. Bluetooth for Healthcare Initially, Bluetooth was shunned across healthcare organizations due to concerns of yet another RF technology in a congested wireless space. But as the security aspect of Bluetooth is enhanced along with increased signal range, there are more and more applications leveraging Bluetooth in the medical space. The adoption of Bluetooth technology has grown significantly since its integration with smart phones and tablets. Because Bluetooth is a frequency hopping technology, it can avoid congested spectrum channels being used by other wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi access points. Numerous personal monitoring devices (Fitbit, glucose monitoring, neuromodulation) leverage Bluetooth for device connectivity and provisioning. We are seeing more and more of these types of monitoring devices introduced into the critical care environment. Bluetooth is also being used effectively as a wire replacement within operating rooms, ICU's, and other locations with a high number of devices in use. Finally, as a customer service benefit, Bluetooth can be utilized for wayfinding applications to assist patients and visitors in navigating across hospitals and campuses.