What Is the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)?
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) refers to the network of connected medical devices, systems, and healthcare technologies that collect, transmit, and share health data, including personal health information (PHI). IoMT security focuses on protecting these devices, the healthcare networks they connect to, and the sensitive data they process.
While IoMT enables improved patient care, remote monitoring, and greater operational efficiency, it also introduces unique cybersecurity challenges. Effective IoMT security is essential for maintaining device integrity, protecting patient data, and reducing cyber risk across healthcare environments.
Why Is IoMT Security Important?
IoMT security is essential because connected medical devices have become a fundamental part of modern healthcare while also expanding the healthcare attack surface. Every connected device, from patient monitors and infusion pumps to imaging systems and wearable medical devices, can serve as a potential entry point for attackers, increasing the risk of unauthorized access to healthcare networks.
Many IoMT devices run on legacy operating systems, have limited built-in security controls, or cannot be easily patched without disrupting clinical workflows. These characteristics make them attractive targets for attackers seeking to gain an initial foothold in the network, move laterally to critical systems, deploy ransomware, steal sensitive patient data, or disrupt healthcare services.
A successful attack on an IoMT device can have far-reaching consequences. Beyond compromising the device itself, attackers may gain access to electronic health records (EHRs), interrupt clinical operations, expose protected health information (PHI), affect the availability and integrity of medical devices, and, in some cases, impact patient safety. These incidents can also result in financial losses, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage for healthcare organizations.
IoMT Cybersecurity Challenges
Healthcare organizations must secure a growing ecosystem of connected medical devices, often deployed across multiple facilities, departments, and clinical environments. As IoMT adoption increases, security teams face challenges related to device management, software maintenance, vendor diversity, and regulatory compliance.
Many healthcare environments contain devices from different manufacturers, each with its own operating systems, update cycles, and security requirements. Some medical devices may remain in service for years, making it difficult to keep pace with evolving cybersecurity threats and security standards.
In addition, healthcare organizations must balance cybersecurity requirements with patient care objectives. Security controls cannot interfere with the availability or functionality of critical medical devices, creating unique challenges that are not typically found in traditional IT environments.
To address these challenges, healthcare organizations must first understand what devices are connected to their environments and whether those devices can be trusted. Without accurate asset identification and reliable device intelligence, it becomes difficult to assess risk, enforce security policies, and maintain control over growing IoMT environments.
Why Asset Visibility Is Critical for IoMT Security
Asset visibility is critical for IoMT security because it provides the foundation for device trust. Organizations must not only discover connected medical devices but also verify that they are truly what they claim to be.
Healthcare organizations cannot secure what they cannot see. However, simply discovering devices is not enough. Traditional security tools often rely on a device’s declared identity, such as a MAC address, hostname, or operating system fingerprint, which can be spoofed or manipulated.
As healthcare organizations deploy more connected medical devices, they face growing challenges related to unauthorized hardware, rogue devices, supply chain risks, and device impersonation attacks. Without reliable device identification, security teams may struggle to distinguish trusted assets from potentially malicious or compromised devices.
Physical layer visibility helps address this challenge by providing accurate asset discovery and device identity verification. By understanding what is connected and validating that devices are truly what they claim to be, healthcare organizations can strengthen IoMT security, support Zero Trust initiatives, and reduce risk across their healthcare environments.
How to Improve IoMT Security
Improving IoMT security requires healthcare organizations to continuously verify device identity, assess asset risk, and prevent unauthorized hardware from accessing critical healthcare environments.
Traditional security tools often rely on declared device attributes such as MAC addresses, hostnames, and operating system fingerprints. However, these identifiers can be manipulated or spoofed. A stronger approach combines visibility, identity verification, risk assessment, and policy enforcement to ensure trust is based on verified hardware characteristics rather than assumed identity.
Sepio helps healthcare organizations strengthen IoMT security through Zero Trust Hardware Access (ZTHA). By extending the Zero Trust principle of “Never Trust, Always Verify” to connected hardware, Sepio enables organizations to move beyond asset discovery and establish trust through continuous verification, risk-based decision making, and real-time enforcement.
As Healthcare Zero Trust strategies mature, hardware-level verification becomes an essential layer of protection. Through hardware visibility, identity verification, risk scoring, and enforcement controls, healthcare organizations can reduce cyber risk, improve operational resilience, and help ensure the availability and integrity of critical medical devices.
Mitigate IoMT Security Risks with Sepio
Gain visibility into known, unknown, and shadow assets across your healthcare environment and establish trust through device identity verification. Sepio helps organizations identify unauthorized hardware, prioritize risk, and enforce security policies based on verified device identity rather than assumed attributes.
Speak with our experts to learn how Sepio’s Zero Trust Hardware Access (ZTHA) approach can help strengthen IoMT security, reduce cyber risk, and improve resilience across healthcare environments.
Talk to an expertFrequently Asked Questions
IoMT security is the practice of protecting Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices, healthcare networks, and sensitive patient data from cyber threats. It includes device visibility, identity verification, risk management, and security controls designed to protect connected medical devices throughout their lifecycle.
IoMT devices are internet-connected medical devices and healthcare technologies that collect, process, or share medical data. Examples include patient monitoring systems, infusion pumps, imaging equipment, wearable medical devices, and remote patient monitoring solutions.
Asset visibility helps healthcare organizations identify connected medical devices and understand what is operating within their environment. Without visibility, unauthorized, unmanaged, or vulnerable devices may go undetected. However, visibility alone is not enough. Organizations must also verify that devices are truly what they claim to be.
Zero Trust Hardware Access (ZTHA) extends the Zero Trust principle of “Never Trust, Always Verify” to connected hardware. Rather than relying solely on declared device attributes, ZTHA uses hardware-level visibility and device identity verification to establish trust before a device is allowed to operate within the environment.
Healthcare organizations can improve IoMT security by maintaining visibility into connected medical devices, verifying device identity, assessing device risk, continuously monitoring their environments, and implementing Zero Trust security controls to prevent unauthorized hardware from accessing critical systems.
