Safeguarding Healthcare Data in the IoT Era

When most people think of advances in healthcare, they’re likely to think of new diagnostic and treatment tools in hospitals. Big machines that take up most of a room, shining and new. In reality though, one of the biggest advancements in medical technology has come with the rapid rise of IoT in healthcare.

IoT has proliferated throughout healthcare in part because it has so many different means and uses.

At the most basic, everyday level, we can look at the amount of people who have wearables that track heart rates, sleep cycles, blood glucose levels among other stats.

Whether as part of a dedicated, specialist device, or just a functionality of their phone or smartwatch, medical data tracking is a big deal in 2025.

Then there’s the in-situ, hospital-based equipment that can now share data between devices and the hospital’s greater connected systems.

All of which has been hugely beneficial to patients. Continuous monitoring and connected medical devices mean holistic insights delivered in real-time, making treatment and patient care more efficient and effective.

There’s no arguing with the impact IoT has had on medicine, not when the medical-specific market is forecast to hit 176.82 billion by 2026.

That’s not to say that the use of medical IoT is without its challenges. With so much data being collected on each and every patient, not to mention shared between connected devices, questions around patient privacy and data protection are common.

Especially when the risk to healthcare data security increases with each linked device.

More devices mean more points of vulnerability that can be exploited, which is why ensuring data security is paramount for manufacturers and network providers.

The Expanding Risk Landscape in Healthcare IoT

The more advances there are in healthcare IoT, the more security becomes a pressing concern.

A greater number of devices means a larger risk to data security. Healthcare data exists at a rare crossroads between being extremely sensitive, and easy for cyber criminals to take advantage of.

Once cyber criminals have found a weakness to exploit, they can quickly access a person’s name, date of birth, prescription history, and employment details. All of which sets them up for various levels of identity fraud, insurance fraud, and even illegal access to medications and equipment.

On a larger scale, data breaches also come with the risk of ransomware attacks. These hacks freeze users out of their data until an extortion demand is met with the threat of leaking details to further third parties.

Last year alone, 13 data breaches compromised the personal data of around 100 million patients.

That’s a catastrophic number, so it’s worth knowing which weak points cyber criminals often target to try and get past healthcare IoT security.

• Outdated firmware and software. It’s important to keep both up to date to leverage the latest security capabilities.

• Insecure device configurations and weak authentication. Make sure that devices use passwords where possible, and that they’re strong ones.

• Lack of visibility into device networks. If you don’t have a good understanding of your device networks, you won't be able to recognise weaknesses (such as unmanaged devices) or spot potentially dangerous rogue elements.

• Supply chain risks and third-party integrations. Connecting and integrating with systems used by third parties means that you no longer have complete security oversight for your network. An exploitable weakness in a linked system can easily lead cyber criminals to your network and data.

Best Practices for Protecting Healthcare Data

Those are the threats and weaknesses that face IoT and data in healthcare.

Now it’s time to look at the best practices and IoT compliance that will protect healthcare data.

These aren’t overly complex actions or lengthy tasks, but medical IoT users who stick to them will be much better placed to protect user data and privacy.

• Enable end-to-end encryption to keep data secure from all sides, at rest and in transit. Algorithms like AES-256 will keep data stored on devices safe, while Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Datagram TLS (DTLS) protects data moving between devices.

• Use strong authentication and access control protocols to prevent unauthorized access. Two-factor is a great example of a simple extra step that can make all the difference. It helps that it’s familiar, as two-factor authentication is widely used as part of the login processes for many other apps, programs, and websites

• Ensure you’re monitoring the lifecycle of devices. Every connected device should be monitored and decommissioned properly when the time comes outdated technology can fail, or otherwise not accept the latest downloads needed to maintain security.

• Downloaded firmware updates and patches regularly, if not immediately. Updates are vital for patching gaps in security and strengthening your defences against bad actors.

• Verify every connection by adopting zero-trust network principles. You can’t afford to accept connections from unknown devices, so only accept those you recognize or set-up yourself.

• Monitor your devices and data continuously to spot anomalies. AI and analytics tools can help you spot anything that doesn’t look right and let you take action quicker.

• Keep up to date with regulations and IoT compliance. Regulatory compliance frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and the ISO 27001 standard exist to keep personal data safe, so make sure you stick to them. Especially if you want to avoid a fine in the event of a breach. HIPAA can levy fines between $100 and $50,000 per violation, and GDPR up to €20 million Euros or 4% of a company’s annual income.

By making the effort and sticking to these best practices, you’ll be creating a much more secure ecosystem for your healthcare IoT security.

Emerging Technologies for Enhancing IoT Security

The use of medical IoT is exploding.

Thankfully, though, so is the amount of technology available to help safeguard medical device cybersecurity.

For example, integrated IoT management brings all your device data under one umbrella, simplifying security processes for healthcare organizations.

Meanwhile, secure connectivity and managed IoT platforms regularly offer built-in security features alongside compliance support for those with growing IoT use.

By leveraging AI-powered threat detection in healthcare IoT security, it’s possible to identify any suspicious or unusual activity much more quickly than when relying on traditional and legacy systems.

Edge computing also plays a part in ensuring medical device cybersecurity.

By processing the data closer to the source, rather than sending it to centralized hubs and the cloud, sensitive info spends less time in transit and isn’t as vulnerable to hijacking.

Building Trust Through Secure IoT

For people to trust the latest advancements in healthcare technology, they need to know that data privacy and security are being treated as a top priority.

Without trust, it’s impossible for new approaches to grow and for innovations to take root.

The best way to build that trust is to get proactive about healthcare data protection and IoT data privacy. AI threat detection, regulatory compliance, integrated IoT management, and more can all be used to build a network with a strong, end-to-end, approach to healthcare IoT security.

If you’re looking for a guiding hand, a partner to help keep your healthcare data secure, look no further than Pelion's IoT SIM cards and flexible IoT security solutions.

Businesses around the world trust us to keep their IoT connectivity and data management safe and sound.

We’ll help you navigate the challenges of medical device cybersecurity, showing you how to hit compliance goals, and guaranteeing that you have the framework and confidence to scale your medical IoT use.

See how Pelion’s IoT security expertise can simplify and strengthen your healthcare data protection plan. Get in touch and book a demo today.