Beyond the Bedside: Building a Cybersecurity Strategy Through a Patient’s Eyes

When we think of cybersecurity in healthcare, patient data breaches or vulnerabilities in medical devices often come to mind first. But as a patient, have you considered how deeply technology integrates into every moment of your healthcare experience? Technology’s presence in healthcare is all-encompassing, from the sliding doors that welcome you to the facility to the air conditioning systems maintaining sterile surgical fields. And if that technology fails, the most vulnerable among us—patients—face significant risks.

This blog explores cybersecurity in healthcare from a patient’s perspective, focusing on potential threats and the steps organizations must take to ensure patient safety.

A Day in the Life of a Patient

Let’s begin with a scenario. Imagine you’re scheduled for a routine hospital visit, possibly for an X-ray or an outpatient procedure. Your experience likely begins long before you step foot in the facility.

1. Pre-Visit Technology

Before the visit, you might schedule your appointment online or via telehealth. Your personal health history, today’s symptoms, and even your payment details are shared digitally. Now imagine the implications if this data is compromised. Beyond the breach of your privacy, there’s potential for fraudulent activities or even identity theft.

2. Entering the Facility

Upon arrival, you’re guided by digital signage in the parking lot, automatic sliding doors, and queue management systems in the lobby. What if any of these technologies fail? A misstep in these critical systems could create confusion—or worse, block timely access to care.

3. Medical Examination and Tests

Healthcare technology truly shines when critical devices like MRI machines, infusion pumps, and ventilators function seamlessly. However, every connected device—part of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)—introduces potential exposures, including vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, outdated or EOL software. A single exploited vulnerability could disrupt care workflows, stall life-saving treatments, or jeopardize your health.

4. In-Hospital Experience Beyond Medical Devices

The risks extend beyond the equipment directly facilitating care. Building Management Systems (BMS) like HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) ensure sterile environments for surgery and maintain quarantine facilities for infectious diseases. Cyberattacks that compromise these systems, such as the 2021 incident of a hacker accessing HVAC systems in an attempt to extort money from the vendor, could lead to surgical delays or the inability to contain outbreaks, presenting massive public health risks. These systems are intrinsically connected to patient safety and cannot be a security blind spot for healthcare organizations.

The implications of any of these phases of the care journey failing are harrowing—not just for you as a patient but for everyone in the building. Patients may be unable to undergo essential treatments, care providers may be unable to make informed, timely decisions, and the very machines we rely on to facilitate care delivery could operate unsafely. This scenario is all under the assumption that this is a routine hospital visit. But in an emergency, when every second and every decision counts, technology must be an enabler, not a blocker to the most critical moments in a patient’s life.

In Healthcare, the Risks Extend Beyond Cyber

Too often, cybersecurity becomes a language of its own. Any provider in the healthcare space needs to recognize the real risks of a cyberattack or technology fault in a hospital or care delivery organization. Data breaches can expose the most vulnerable details of a person’s life. Technology malfunctioning or being taken over by bad actors can administer improper dosages, create backlogs for essential screening and procedures, and cause canceled treatments, exemplified by the cyber attack on pathology provider Synnovis in 2024 which resulted in over 6000 delayed operations and appointments. For healthcare systems affected by ransomware attacks in 2023, there was a 28% spike in mortality rate. With the frequency and severity of ransomware attacks on the rise, security in healthcare must take a comprehensive, patient-centric approach that protects every single technology asset to safeguard lives as well as technology, and allow providers to provide the best possible outcomes.

Rethinking Cybersecurity in Healthcare

Gone are the days when cybersecurity in healthcare can have a narrow focus on one piece of the puzzle. Neglecting medical devices in favor of IT security or vice versa can result in potentially life-threatening blind spots. As the industry continues to innovate and adopt new technologies to support faster, more efficient patient care, the technology ecosystem now encompasses everything from digital patient records to operational technology managing elevators, HVAC systems, and lighting. The future of healthcare depends on innovation, but innovation without security is doomed to fail. Protecting the entire technology ecosystem, including emerging technology like telehealth platforms, robotic surgeries, and AI diagnostic tools, ensures long-term growth and patient trust.

What Patient-Centric Cybersecurity Looks Like

Finally, a patient-centric approach must also apply to how we think of risks and vulnerabilities. The biggest risks to patient care continuity should be assessed from a patient safety risk, operational risk, and cyber risk perspective. This allows teams to easily take action and act with confidence on a triaged set of alerts to keep the most critical departments operating safely. Achieving patient-centric security means understanding risks from the patient’s viewpoint.

Healthcare providers must follow these steps to minimize threats while maintaining a seamless patient experience.

• See every risk across IoMT, IT, IoT, and operational systems. 
• Protect essential patient workflows and the technology that supports them, prioritizing the biggest risks to care continuity.
• Manage vulnerabilities effectively, ensuring threats are remediated before they can cause harm.

The Path to Safer Healthcare

The responsibility for healthcare cybersecurity doesn’t lie solely with IT experts or system administrators—it extends to everyone involved in the patient experience. At its core, cybersecurity in healthcare is about trust. Patients should trust that when they are in a healthcare facility, the focus can stay on what matters most and not be disrupted by errant technology or malicious attacks. In modern care environments, providers are entrusted to safeguard patient health and safety through every phase of the patient journey and with every piece of technology used along the way. By reframing cybersecurity as a patient safety initiative, providers can ensure their systems and facilities are holistically protected and can confidently uphold their oath to “do no harm.”

For a more detailed strategic approach to “patient-centric cybersecurity,” check out our playbook here: https://www.armis.com/healthcare-playbook/.