Conference:  Defcon 31

Authors: Christian “quaddi” Dameff MD Physician & Medical Director of Cyber Security at The University of California San Diego, Jacqueline Burgette, DMD, PhD White House Fellow in The Office of National Cyber Director (ONCD), Jeff “r3plicant” Tully MD Anesthesiologist at The University of California San Diego, Nitin Natarajan Deputy Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Senator Mark Warner Virginia Senator and Chair of the US Cybersecurity Caucus, Suzanne Schwartz MD Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Technology Innovation (FDA)

2023-08-01

In 2016 a bunch of hackers took a break from DEF CON festivities to gather in a hotel room with a bathtub full of beer and talk about shared interests in a brave new world of connected healthcare. Trailblazers were popping pacemakers and pharmaceutical pumps, and we worried that instead of embracing such efforts as opportunities to make tech safer for patients, folks in charge would repeat mistakes of the past and double down on the status quo. Fast forward to the 2022 passage of the Omnibus spending bill- the FDA is now locked and loaded with expanded authority to regulate cybersecurity requirements for medical devices. What changed? *Keanu voice:* “Policy. Lots of Policy.” Turns out when we get in with the right people, hackers can help get things done. This is the core of Policy @ DEF CON. Challenges persist. We now have threats from state actors and ransomware blasts delaying lifesaving medical care while costing hospitals hundreds of millions of dollars they don’t have (been in an ER lately?). So once again, come join quaddi and r3plicant, your favorite ripper docs, for another round of D0 No H4rm- this time with special guests from Congress, FDA, and the White House as we figure out what policy patches have the best chance to save lives. It starts here, in rooms like this, with hackers like you. And it ends with us changing the world.

Conference:  Defcon 31

Authors: Katie Inns Security Consultant, WithSecure

2023-08-01

In recent years, the use of internet-connected devices has become more prevalent in the healthcare sector, particularly as a means to communicate patient data. Therefore, it is essential that security testing is carried out against these devices to identify misconfigurations that could cause a severe impact, such as the prescription of incorrect drugs. Modern healthcare protocols such as FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) use the HTTP protocol to communicate, making security testing relatively straightforward. However, the use of older protocols such as HL7 (Health Level Seven) is more widespread across medical devices in the industry. These protocols are bespoke and difficult to read or intercept using current commercial and open-source security tooling, making testing of these devices challenging and cumbersome. To address this challenge, I have developed a tool (HL7Magic) to provide security testers with an easier method of intercepting and changing HL7 messages sent to and from medical devices. This tool was created for the purpose of being integrated into Burp Suite as an extension, although it can exist independently. After talking about how the HL7Magic was created, I will give a short demonstration using the tool for security research purpose or to identify existing CVE’s across your estate. HL7Magic will be open sourced and collaborations to improve it further will be welcomed.