IoT seems like the biggest thing to happen since the Internet. Imagine the boon it is to Healthcare. Medical devices can communicate with each other and with computers which can program them to deliver medication with precision. IoT can eliminate the heavy cost of human error in Healthcare. IoT data analytics can also supersede human intelligence. The devices, dosage and usage data, when read in conjunction with patient records can deliver superior insights on Healthcare.
However, there is a dark side to what seems to be a universal blessing. IoT can also make it easy for rogue elements to stealthily enter this network with ease. It makes it possible to corrupt an excellent Healthcare IoT with malware that can prove dangerous for innocent patients hooked up to the devices. It can make it easy for hackers to steal into the network and steal confidential patient data complete with the stupendous insights that could have healed them.
Consider the incident in Austria. Two patients broke into the service data backing up the infusion pumps that they were hooked up to and manipulated the medication to suit them better. However this bad decision led a case of overdose. This incident exposes how shockingly easy IoT hooked up Healthcare is to break into.
Should we kill IoT Data Analytics in the interest of security?
In the interest of security, especially in military healthcare where patient data needs to be maintained under maximum security conditions, IoT hooked up Healthcare seems to be huge risk. However the benefits of this technology far outweigh the risk.
IoT has made healthcare programmable and thus accessible to military professionals, veterans and families in remote locations. This is necessity for military personnel. An alternative must be found to the security risks in this technology.
The Solution – Security Analytics to fight IoT Analytics risk
Only more Analytics can take on Analytics led risks. The magnificent union of security with the IoT systems data analytics can give birth to a dynamic system that adapts its own defenses. The security threats, access, intrusions will be predicted way before they actually happen. This can be made possible by predictive data analytics. This married with the Security systems of the IoT hooked up Healthcare systems makes for an adaptable, invincible superpower.
What can this super analytics do?
The Military Health system is already prepping the next level of IoT Healthcare Security Analytics to deliver these benefits
To evaluate each addition to the network - Devices added to the network will be evaluated based on the rapidly evolving criteria developed by the system. If the devices are suspected to be possible sites of security breached, their security will be upped before they join the network. This is the Protect Phase made possible by super analytics.
To make IoT communication more secure - Inter-device communication and device-to-computer communication encryption levels are made unbreachable so that data theft / loss is not possible.
To shield from ransomware – Ransomware is a real threat to all IoT networks. They can create havoc if unleashed on a Healthcare network. Putting a military healthcare network at risk of ransomware is equivalent to attacking the country itself. This is a crucial defense that super analytics needs to work on. There have been instances of healthcare networks being targeted by ransomware. This threat is very real and very present. Marrying security with big data analytics can help predict, detect and respond to ransomware.
