Fed up hospitals defy patching rules
nwfusion.com: "The problem is that computer worms that target Microsoft-based computers, including MS-Blaster and Sasser, have increasingly struck hospital networks, where unpatched Windows-based patient-care systems have become infected. Some manufacturers, including Philips, contend that hospitals must do a better job of applying security defenses to protect medical devices by buying intrusion-prevention systems (IPS ) and internal firewalls.

However, hospital IT professionals respond that it's not that unusual for medical-device manufacturers to be the origin of worms that get in their networks.

There have been several instances in which viruses originated from medical instruments straight from the vendors, says Bill Bailey, enterprise architect at ProHealth Care, a Milwaukee healthcare provider. Medical equipment arrived with computer viruses on it or service technicians introduced the viruses while maintaining the equipment, he says."
- posted by Sophont @ Monday, August 09, 2004