Millions of Medical Devices Vulnerable to Cyberattack, FDA Warns

Millions of anesthesia machines and imaging systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks, the FDA warned Oct. 1 even though it has no reports of complications from attacks yet.

Security researchers found 11 vulnerabilities, which they call the URGENT/11, in IPnet, third-party software that supports network communications between computers. The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released an advisory on these vulnerabilities in July.

These flaws could allow hackers to take over the medical device or hospital network, change its function, deny services to patients, or leak information, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The affected systems run ...