# Health IoT Threats: Survey of Risks and Vulnerabilities
## 2 Background of the Research
Table 1 presents the number of healthcare data breaches from 2009 to 2022. Over the period of 2009 to 2022, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights has received reports of 5150 large-scale healthcare data breaches, affecting a total of 382 million healthcare records, equivalent to over 1.2 times the population of the United States. In 2018, one healthcare data breach of 500 or more records was reported daily. But five years later, the situation has worsened, with an average of 1.94 daily reports of such breaches in 2022. To enhance security and address growing concerns over medical data privacy, various organizations have developed and established standards, policies, guidelines, protocols, and regulations for healthcare technology vendors and service providers. These regulations aim to protect healthcare systems and resources from intentional and unintentional risks while providing efficient and cost-effective clinical services to citizens [53]. Organizations such as HIPAA, the State Alliance for eHealth, and the National Governors Association Centre for Best Practices have provided rules and guidelines for using technology in healthcare that are widely recognized globally. Despite the potential benefits, IoT technologies offer to the healthcare system, the rapid advancements in technology have increased the vulnerability of population health data and exposed patients' information to various threats and misuses [54]. _IoT Risks and Vulnerabilities in Healthcare_  
The use of IoT technology in the healthcare industry continues to grow. In 2022, the worldwide market for IoT in healthcare was estimated to be worth USD 99.58 billion. This market is predicted to increase to USD 486.34 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate of 19.27% over the forecast period of 2023 to 2031 [55]. Studies have shown that the implementation of IoT in healthcare can improve patient outcomes and experience, increase the efficiency and productivity of healthcare organizations, and reduce costs [11; 56]. For instance, wearable devices such as smartwatches and continuous monitoring systems can provide real-time monitoring of vital signs and early detection of potential health problems [57]. Therefore, this creates great opportunities for medical experts and the healthcare industry. However, security and privacy remain significant challenges in the implementation of IoT in healthcare. Health organizations reported security concerns as the main barrier to IoT adoption [58], while data privacy and data \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Year** & **Number of Breaches (500+)** & **Healthcare Data Breaches (in Millions)** \\ \hline
2022 & 707 & 50,000,000 \\
2021 & 714 & 42,000,000 \\
2020 & 642 & 34,000,000 \\
2019 & 512 & 38,377,277 \\
2018 & 368 & 12,069,868 \\
2017 & 358 & 5,127,646 \\
2016 & 329 & 16,657,540 \\
2015 & 270 & 114,306,777 \\
2014 & 307 & 12,901,859 \\
2013 & 274 & 33,335,000 \\
2012 & 209 & 23,335,000 \\
2011 & 196 & 5,011,100 \\
2010 & 198 & 1,151,000 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Healthcare Data Breaches Based on [37; 52] Statistics. protection ranked as the second largest concern among healthcare organizations [47]. [PERSON], et al. [59] claimed that having every 'thing' connected, new security and privacy problems arise, e.g., confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity of data sensed and exchanged by 'things'. As most IoT devices and their applications are wireless in nature, security and privacy concerns are among the top areas of concern. A more highlighted issue with IoT in healthcare is the security of data transmitted from a patient's device through wireless media, which exposes the patient's data. In addition, this problem with IoT devices has been escalated due to the diversity of resources and the network heterogeneity [5]. The violations or privacy concerns discussed may restrict users from taking advantage of the full benefits IoT brings to the healthcare system [60].