DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

The Global State of Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT) Exposures on Public-Facing Networks

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Dissent

Censys recently published a new research report that looks at exposed data on the internet involving healthcare devices and systems connected to PHI. Here’s their Executive Summary:

  • Censys discovered 14,004 unique IP addresses exposing healthcare devices and data systems connected to potentially sensitive medical information on the public internet. These exposures greatly raise the risk of unauthorized access and exploitation. This figure likely reflects the lower bound of the total risk, as many more devices may be exposed but not publicly visible..
  • Nearly 50% of the exposed hosts (6,884) are located in the United States, followed by 10.5% (1,476) in India. This is likely due to both countries having large, complex healthcare infrastructure that serves large populations, where organizations must handle vast amounts of sensitive data. Comparatively, we detected only 200 publicly available hosts in the United Kingdom, possibly a reflection of its more centralized healthcare infrastructure.
  • Open DICOM ports and DICOM-enabled web interfaces intended for exchanging and viewing medical images account for 36% of the exposures, with 5,100 hosts publicly exposing these systems. This is concerning because DICOM is a legacy protocol with several known security weaknesses.
  • EMR/EHR systems, which store and manage electronic health records, represent the second-largest exposure type at 28% with 4,031 interfaces publicly available. The exposure of the login interfaces to these systems potentially puts vast amounts of sensitive personal health data, including medical histories and social security numbers at risk.
  • Healthcare organizations must prioritize securing their internet-exposed assets that handle sensitive patient data, particularly DICOM and EMR/EHR systems. This includes strengthening access controls, enforcing multi-factor authentication, and ensuring proper configurations in both cloud and on-premise environments to protect sensitive medical data.

Read more at Censys.

 

Related posts:

  • Senator Warner wants to know what HHS OCR did in response to massive leak of patient medical images by organizations
  • Lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill for ‘internet of things’ security standards
Category: Commentaries and AnalysesHealth DataOf Note

Post navigation

← Hong Kong watchdog slams sports club for sloppy cybersecurity ahead of ransomware attack
Pro-Palestinian hacktivists attack infrastructure in Cyprus →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Alert: Scattered Spider has added North American airline and transportation organizations to their target list
  • Northern Light Health patients affected by security incident at Compumedics; 10 healthcare entities affected
  • Privacy commissioner reviewing reported Ontario Health atHome data breach
  • CMS warns Medicare providers of fraud scheme
  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni
  • Detaining Hackers Before the Crime? Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court Approves Preventive Custody for Cyber Offenders
  • Potential Cyberattack Scrambles Columbia University Computer Systems
  • 222,000 customer records allegedly from Manhattan Parking Group leaked
  • Breaches have consequences (sometimes) (1)
  • Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty for Hacking a Non-Profit

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Germany Wants Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek From Their App Stores
  • Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring age verification on porn sites
  • Justices nix Medicaid ‘right’ to choose doctor, defunding Planned Parenthood in South Carolina
  • European Commission publishes its plan to enable more effective law enforcement access to data
  • Sacred Secrets: The Biblical Case for Privacy and Data Protection
  • Microsoft’s Departing Privacy Chief Calls for Regulator Outreach
  • Nestle USA Settles Suit Over Job-Application Medical Questions

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.