Last updated at Thu, 10 Aug 2023 22:15:34 GMT

In a post-pandemic landscape, the interconnectedness of cybersecurity is front and center. Few could say that they were not at least aware of, if not directly affected by, the downstream effects of major breaches that cause impacts felt across economies. One should look at disruptions in the global supply chain as case in point.

So the concept of security that goes from the cradle to the grave, is more than just an industry buzz phrase, it is a critical component of securing networks, applications, and devices.

 

Sadly, in too many cases, cradle to grave security was either not considered at conception, or outright ignored. And as a new report released today by Rapid7 principal researcher, Deral Heiland points out, even when organizations are able to take steps to mitigate concerns at the grave portion of the life cycle, they don’t.

In Security Implications from Improper De-acquisition of Medical Infusion Pumps Heiland performs a physical and technical teardown of more than a dozen medical infusion pumps — devices used to deliver and control fluids directly into a patient’s body. Each of these devices was available for purchase on the secondary market and each one had issues that could compromise their previous organization’s networks.

The reason these devices pose such a risk is a lack of (or lax) process for de-acquisitioning them before they are sold on sites like eBay. In at least eight of the 13 devices used in the study, WiFi PSK access credentials were discovered, offering attackers potential access to health organization networks.

In the report, Heiland calls for systemic changes to policies and procedures for both the acquisition and de-acquisition of these devices. The policies must define ownership and governance of these devices from the moment they enter the building to the moment they are sold on the secondary market. The processes should detail how data should be purged from these devices (and by extension, many others). In the cases of medical devices that are leased, contractual agreements on the purging process and expectations should be made before acquisition.

The ultimate finding is that properly disposing of sensitive information on these devices should be a priority. Purging them of data should not (and in many cases is not) terribly difficult. The issue lies with process and responsibility for the protection of information stored in those devices. And that is a major component of the cradle to grave security concept.