Sensible Solutions for Refurbished Radiology

Can Your MRI Be Hacked?

Posted by Vikki Harmonay on Tue, Dec 1, 2015 @ 12:12 PM

It seems like every time we turn on the news, we hear about another company that’s had its information hacked. So just how secureMRI_Hacked-1 is the information about your patients? And how easy is it to hack into a medical system like an MRI?

Recently, two top global security researchers investigated the types of information that hackers could potentially access and use. They used the Shodan search engine, which finds computers based on software, operating software and other types of details. Frighteningly, they found access to tens of thousands of hospital computer systems and medical devices, including a “very large U.S. healthcare system” with more than 12,000 employees and 3,000+ physicians.

The researchers explained that hackers could access a wide variety of information from these vulnerable healthcare providers, including employee names and the exact office building and floor number in which equipment is located. Hackers could get remote administrative access to critical devices and supporting systems.

These kinds of cyber threats and data breaches can keep hospital CIOs awake at night. And it’s no wonder—roughly 75% of healthcare organizations have suffered some kind of data breach or security incident in the past 12 months*. Plus, under the U.S. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, hospitals and other organizations can be fined up to $1.5 million for serious security incidents.

As a rule, hackers who infiltrate health IT systems are looking for financial data, not medical information. However, some hackers want to wreak havoc by causing equipment failures and malfunctions, like insulin pumps, MRI machines, CT Scanners and other medical systems. With lives—and data—at risk, it’s important to be proactive in protecting your facility and your medical equipment, including medical imaging devices like MRIs and CT Scanners. It’s wise to educate patients and staff members about medical identity theft, and essential to invest in a comprehensive risk analysis.

If you’ve got questions about how to protect the information from your medical imaging devices, talk to the experts at Atlantis Worldwide. We are always here to help!

6-30-16 Cyber outlaws starting to see medical imaging systems as juicy hack targets. ow.ly/LihJ301LDr1

To check out the original articles, visit:

Please contact Jeff Weiss about your medical imaging needs at 212-366-9100 or jeffweiss@atlantisworldwide.com

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Meet the author: Vikki Harmonay

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Topics: MRI, Medical Imaging Equipment