Impact of Energy Consumption Attacks on Smart Healthcare Devices: A Testbed Study

מושגי ליבה

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), energy-consumption Distributed Denial of Service (EC-DDoS), and Fake Access Points (F-APs) attacks can significantly impact the energy consumption and connectivity of smart healthcare devices, posing serious threats to patient safety and privacy.

תקציר

The paper investigates the impact of DDoS, EC-DDoS, and F-APs attacks on the energy consumption and connectivity of smart healthcare devices, such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino.
The key findings include:

Determination of the minimum and maximum attack rates of DDoS attacks that cause service disruptions on the victim devices.
Demonstration of the significant impact of EC-DDoS and F-APs attacks on the energy consumption of smart healthcare devices.

The authors identify several critical factors, including communication protocols, attack rates, payload sizes, and victim devices' port states, that influence the energy consumption of the victim devices. These findings provide a thorough understanding of the potential vulnerabilities of IoT devices within a smart healthcare environment and lay the foundation for future research on effective defense solutions.
The paper presents a testbed setup and a detailed data collection process to study the effects of these attacks on smart healthcare devices. The authors measure the energy consumption, connectivity, and behavioral changes of the devices under different attack scenarios. The results highlight the urgent need for robust security measures to protect smart healthcare systems from such energy consumption attacks, which can have severe consequences for patient care and safety.

סטטיסטיקה

The minimum attack rate that causes service disruptions on the Raspberry Pi is 20,000 packets per second (PPS) with no payload, while the Arduino disconnects at 800 PPS with no payload.
The energy consumption of the Raspberry Pi increases from 1.42 Joules per second to more than 3 Joules per second under EC-DDoS attacks.
The energy consumption of the Arduino increases from 1.06 Joules per second to more than 2 Joules per second under EC-DDoS attacks.
The F-APs attack affects 45% of the energy consumption of the Raspberry Pi and Arduino, while the EC-DDoS attack affects 55% of their energy consumption.

ציטוטים

"The security of IoT devices has become a serious concern, especially in the healthcare domain, where recent attacks exposed damaging IoT security vulnerabilities."
"Energy consumption attacks can destroy smart devices and impact patients' lives."
"These findings facilitate a thorough understanding of IoT devices' potential vulnerabilities within a smart healthcare environment and pave solid foundations for future studies on defense solutions."

תובנות מפתח מזוקקות מ:

Energy Cyber Attacks to Smart Healthcare Devices: A Testbed

by Zainab Alwai... ב- arxiv.org 05-01-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.19418.pdf

שאלות מעמיקות

How can the proposed testbed be extended to include a wider range of smart healthcare devices and attack scenarios to better understand the vulnerabilities of the entire smart healthcare ecosystem?

The proposed testbed can be extended by incorporating a more diverse set of smart healthcare devices with varying levels of complexity and functionalities. This expansion would involve including devices such as wearable health monitors, medical imaging equipment, patient monitoring systems, and medication dispensers. By introducing a wider range of devices, the testbed can simulate a more comprehensive smart healthcare ecosystem, allowing for a more thorough analysis of vulnerabilities across different types of devices.
Furthermore, the attack scenarios can be diversified to cover a broader spectrum of potential threats that smart healthcare devices may face. This can include sophisticated cyber attacks such as ransomware, data exfiltration, device hijacking, and insider threats. By exploring a wider range of attack scenarios, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of the security risks inherent in smart healthcare systems and develop more robust defense mechanisms.
To enhance the testbed's effectiveness, real-world data from healthcare facilities can be integrated to create more realistic attack simulations. This data can provide insights into the actual usage patterns, network configurations, and security protocols employed in healthcare settings, enabling researchers to tailor their attack scenarios to mirror real-world threats more accurately.

What are the potential countermeasures and defense strategies that can be developed to mitigate the impact of energy consumption attacks on smart healthcare devices without compromising their performance and functionality?

Several countermeasures and defense strategies can be implemented to mitigate the impact of energy consumption attacks on smart healthcare devices while maintaining their performance and functionality:

Anomaly Detection Systems: Deploying anomaly detection systems that can monitor energy consumption patterns and identify deviations from normal behavior. This can help in detecting and mitigating energy consumption attacks in real-time.

Device Authentication and Access Control: Implementing robust device authentication mechanisms and access control policies to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting to the network and launching energy consumption attacks.

Network Segmentation: Segmenting the network to isolate critical healthcare devices from potential attackers and limiting the impact of energy consumption attacks on the entire system.

Firmware and Software Updates: Regularly updating device firmware and software to patch known vulnerabilities and strengthen the overall security posture of smart healthcare devices.

Encryption and Data Protection: Encrypting sensitive data transmitted between devices and servers to prevent unauthorized access and manipulation of energy consumption data.

Resource Monitoring and Management: Implementing resource monitoring tools to track energy usage in real-time and proactively manage device resources to prevent excessive energy consumption.

Incident Response Plan: Developing a comprehensive incident response plan to quickly identify, contain, and mitigate the impact of energy consumption attacks when they occur.

What are the broader implications of energy consumption attacks on the overall resilience and reliability of smart healthcare systems, and how can these attacks be addressed from a system-level perspective?

Energy consumption attacks pose significant risks to the resilience and reliability of smart healthcare systems, as they can disrupt critical operations, compromise patient care, and lead to system downtime. These attacks can result in increased energy costs, device malfunctions, and potential data loss, impacting the overall quality of healthcare services.
To address energy consumption attacks from a system-level perspective, healthcare organizations can implement the following strategies:

Risk Assessment and Mitigation: Conducting regular risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities in smart healthcare systems and implementing mitigation strategies to address potential energy consumption threats.

Continuous Monitoring: Implementing continuous monitoring of energy usage patterns and network traffic to detect anomalies and suspicious activities that could indicate an energy consumption attack.

Collaboration and Information Sharing: Collaborating with industry partners, regulatory bodies, and cybersecurity experts to share information on emerging threats and best practices for mitigating energy consumption attacks.

Compliance and Standards: Adhering to industry standards and regulatory requirements related to cybersecurity and energy efficiency to ensure the resilience and reliability of smart healthcare systems.

Training and Awareness: Providing regular training and awareness programs for healthcare staff on cybersecurity best practices, including how to recognize and respond to energy consumption attacks effectively.

By adopting a holistic approach to cybersecurity and energy management, healthcare organizations can enhance the resilience and reliability of smart healthcare systems and mitigate the impact of energy consumption attacks on patient care and operational efficiency.