# Security of Medical Cyber-physical Systems: An Empirical Study on Imaging Devices

**Authors:** Zhiqiang Wang, Pingchuan Ma, Xiaoxiang Zou, Tao Yang  
**arXiv:** [1904.00224](https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.00224)  
**Date:** 2019-03-30  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/1904.00224v2/

## Key points

- Rise of connected medical devices has brought about security concerns
- Medical imaging devices are crucial and often life-critical components in modern hospitals
- Empirical study conducted on imaging devices to analyze their security within medical cyber-physical systems
- Threat model designed and potential attack techniques proposed for medical imaging devices
- Protection mechanisms introduced to counter potential cyber threats and evaluated for effectiveness and efficiency against attack techniques
- Hierarchical system designed to score the security of imaging devices in different scenarios and provide actionable suggestions for improvement
- Study investigated 15 devices from 9 manufacturers, providing empirical comprehension of real-world security issues facing medical cyber-physical systems
- Importance of addressing security concerns in connected medical devices emphasized, particularly those used in life-critical situations such as medical imaging devices
- Need for robust protection mechanisms to ensure secure operation of critical systems and protect patient data privacy highlighted.

## Summary

The rise of connected medical devices in recent years has brought about security concerns, particularly with regards to medical imaging devices that are a crucial component of modern hospitals and often life-critical. To address this issue, the authors of this paper conducted an empirical study on imaging devices to analyze their security within medical cyber-physical systems. The study involved designing a threat model and proposing potential attack techniques for medical imaging devices. Additionally, they introduced protection mechanisms to counter potential cyber threats and evaluated their effectiveness and efficiency against attack techniques. They also designed a hierarchical system to score the security of imaging devices in different scenarios and provide actionable suggestions for improvement. The study investigated 15 devices from 9 manufacturers, providing empirical comprehension of real-world security issues facing medical cyber-physical systems. Overall, this paper highlights the importance of addressing security concerns in connected medical devices, particularly those used in life-critical situations such as medical imaging devices. It emphasizes the need for robust protection mechanisms to ensure secure operation of these critical systems and protect patient data privacy.