Podslurping and Medical Data Safety

One of the most interesting giveaways at this year's MD&M West was a press kit on a USB flash drive. Users could simply plug the drive into an open USB port on their computers and download the materials to their hard drives. Pretty convenient, right? What's even better is that the flash drive can be used again to later store and transport other data.

This technology also has its down side, though. Devices like the one handed out at the show could put medical data at risk for theft. There's even a term for it: podslurping. It's when a large portable memory device, such as an iPod or USB flash drive, is connected to a computer and "slurps" data from behind a firewall.

Podslurping could have major repercussions for the medical community. Commonly used security measures, such as antivirus software and firewall protection, are designed to keep external users from infecting or stealing networked data. What these security systems can't do, however, is prevent internal staff from plugging in a high-capacity portable memory device and downloading a patient's clinical or financial data to it. And current "plug and play" functionality in Windows makes it very easy for any network user to do just that.

Regulatory agencies are just beginning to focus attention on this new twist on data theft. According to John Murray, software compliance expert at CDRH, FDA hasn't yet written anything to specifically address the issue. "However, we do need to figure out what kind of risk this represents to medical devices," he says.

The greater challenge is in complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The HIPAA security rule doesn't directly address the use of external memory devices. However, the ruling does state that "reasonable and appropriate safeguards" need to be maintained in order to protect medical data. And what is considered to be "appropriate" can change, based on advances in data transfer and storage technology.

Many major corporations are still in the early stages of implementing measures to combat podslurping. To help in the process, several companies offer software that specifically targets external memory devices. Programs such as Reflex Magnetics's Disknet Pro and Centennial Software's DeviceWall enable network administrators to restrict access to USB, serial, and parallel ports, as well as CD, DVD, and floppy drives. Wireless ports that use WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity can also be put on lockdown. But just like any security system, these only work if you use them.

In light of this threat, it's extremely important for the medical device industry to be proactive. Medical OEMs need to consider the safety of patient data when developing computer hardware and software to support their products. And developers of network data systems in healthcare facilities need to work closely with customer's IT departments and networking specialists to ensure the integrity of all patient data. Otherwise, we could all be at risk.

Corinne Litchfield
Associate Editor, MPMN

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