Millions of critical IoT and connected medical devices will lose cyber support on the heels of rising ransomware attacks when Microsoft retires the operating system on October 13.
As Microsoft retires its Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system, Cynerio is offering healthcare facilities in North America a free risk assessment until October 31 in support of CISA’s National Cyber Awareness Month. Support for the operating system will end on Tuesday, October 13, leaving millions of healthcare IoT devices wide open to the rising tide of cyber attacks aimed at the notoriously vulnerable healthcare sector. The free risk assessment will provide healthcare organizations with a real-time inventory of devices running legacy operating systems and actionable recommendations on how to mitigate the risks .
A multitude of healthcare IoT and vital laboratory and imaging devices run the Windows Embedded Standard 7 OS, including X-Ray machines, DICOM workstations, and medicine dispensers provided by top-tier vendors like Philips, GE, and Hologic. Further, many of these devices cannot be upgraded, as many vendors do not release new OS versions. Due to the pervasive use of legacy OS, alongside medical devices’ long life cycles, 40% of healthcare facilities have fallen victim to insidious cyber attacks in the last year, with the most recent ransomware attacks causing full facility shutdowns and the death of a patient.
Read More: Ransomware Attacks – Demand Costs to Hit $1.4 Billion in 2020
The Cynerio platform leverages the power of AI to deliver actionable insights into medical devices, enterprise IoT, and OT systems. The full-suite platform automates asset discovery, anomaly detection, and risk scoring according to device criticality and clinical impact. Then, it ensures continuous operations and device functionality with robust security policies healthcare organizations can enforce with confidence.
“With the onslaught of cyber crimes directed at our medical facilities today, it’s more important than ever to make sure our healthcare organizations are cyber-aware and cyber-secure,” said Leon Lerman, CEO and co-founder of Cynerio. “Microsoft’s retirement of the Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system this month comes at a pivotal moment for healthcare. As a healthcare IoT cybersecurity provider, it’s our duty to empower hospitals with the awareness, insights, and solutions to overcome the threat, secure their infrastructures, and protect the assets we rely on to save patient lives.”
