Cryptographic Method to Provide Confidentiality and Integrity in Implantable Medical Devices

This paper presents various cryptographic mechanisms used to bring confidentiality and integrity to Implantable Medical Devices(IMDs) that are wirelessly connected. An IMD is described as any operating medical device that is designed to be completely or partly brought in, surgically or medically, into the human body or by medical intervention into a natural opening, and which is destined to persist after the process. IMDs, like an artificial pacemaker and cochlear implants, perform healing, life-saving functions and store sensitive data; because of this, it is extremely relevant to forbid attackers from having a means of entry to the database. There are many cryptographic methods through which we can provide confidentiality, integrity to sensitive data such as electrocardiogram (ECG)-based data encryption (EDE), Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), Attribute-based encryption (ABE), Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC). A review of different cryptographic approaches to add security to IMDs is presented in this paper.