Imagine having your software code singled out by the Federal Government as a risk to patient data. That’s exactly what happened to Contec Medical Systems earlier this year when a software code vulnerability put the company on the government’s radar.
On January 30, 2025, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency (CISA), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issued an alert regarding the Contec CMS8000 patient monitor, a medical device used in U.S. hospitals. The alert claimed the product’s software code contained a “hidden functionality” pointing outbound communication of patient data and firmware updates, to a hardcoded-IP address in China. Though CISA revised its classification of the questionable code as an insecure design issue and not a suspected backdoor, the underlying concern from CISA remained unchanged; healthcare providers needed to be aware that a code-level vulnerability existed potentially placing patient data at risk.
The Problem: Obscure Vulnerabilities
Software code vulnerabilities, errors or weaknesses in software code that can compromise an entire software program, represent one of the biggest security risks to healthcare organizations. If not managed properly, software code vulnerabilities can endanger data accessibility, confidentiality, and integrity, ultimately leading to security breaches, data loss, and a damaged reputation.
These vulnerabilities can occur when developers use insecure coding practices (e.g., using weak encryption as a shortcut), or use code from outdated third-party code libraries. With over 90% of codebases believed to contain outdated open-source components (meaning developers had access to updates or patches but had not applied them) or contained open-source code that developers had likely discontinued maintaining, code vulnerabilities are a pervasive concern. In fact, some industry experts claim over 80% of codebases have at least one open-source vulnerability, with almost half qualifying as a high-risk vulnerability, meaning the code has a known exploit or allows remote code execution.
One of the challenges with software code vulnerabilities is that they are growing in complexity. As the digital landscape evolves, so do the complexity and sophistication of these vulnerabilities, making it crucial for developers to stay informed and vigilant in their coding practices.
The Vulnerability Scanning Challenge
Yet, continuously managing software code vulnerabilities can be an overwhelming and resource-intensive task for organizations. As cyber threats evolve rapidly, ensuring that all vulnerabilities are identified, prioritized, and remediated in real-time becomes increasingly challenging. Development teams must remain vigilant, regularly running scans, addressing both new and existing issues, and staying up to date with patches and security fixes. This constant vigilance demands significant time and effort from IT and security teams, potentially diverting focus from innovation and other critical business functions. Additionally, the risk of missed vulnerabilities or delayed remediation can have severe consequences, including data breaches, compliance violations, and reputational damage. With the increasing frequency and sophistication of attacks, the burden of managing code vulnerabilities is not just a technical challenge but also a strategic concern for the long-term security and resilience of the organization.
The Need for an Automated Vulnerability Scanning Solution
Automating vulnerability scanning and testing has emerged as a viable option for managing software code vulnerabilities. These tools analyze code without actually running it, identifying potential issues such as buffer overflows, improper input validation, insecure libraries, and other common coding vulnerabilities. By integrating automated scanning and testing into the continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline, developers can ensure that their software remains secure and robust throughout the Software Development Life Cycle.
When selecting an automated code vulnerability scanning solution, there are several factors to consider, to include:
1. Accuracy and False Positives/Negatives
An effective vulnerability scanning tool must minimize false positives (incorrectly flagged vulnerabilities) and false negatives (missed vulnerabilities). Therefore, look for a tool that provides high precision in identifying actual vulnerabilities while minimizing unnecessary noise.
2. Integration with Existing Development Tools and Workflows
Tools that work in silos outside of a company’s development processes can create friction and delay responses to identified issues. The selected tool should easily integrate with version control systems, build systems and other developer tools. It should support automation and work well within existing workflows to provide real-time vulnerability detection.
3. Support for Multiple Programming Languages and Frameworks
Different applications use different programming languages and frameworks. A tool that supports a wide range of languages and frameworks ensures that it can be used across various projects and teams. Verify the tool can scan the programming languages, libraries, and frameworks used in your codebase.
4. Compliance and Reporting Capabilities
Many industries, including healthcare, are subject to strict compliance requirements and regulatory standards. Ensure the tool can generate detailed, actionable reports that align with industry-specific compliance standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR). The ability to customize reports and track remediation efforts is essential for maintaining audit trails and supporting regulatory reviews.
5. Scalability and Performance
As codebase grows, so will the complexity and size of the scanning tasks. A tool that doesn’t scale well can cause bottlenecks, slowdowns, and unnecessary delays, which could impact overall development and security processes. Therefore, assess whether the tool can handle the scale of your organization’s projects, including large codebases and frequent updates. It should provide performance optimization options to ensure fast scans and minimal impact on the development process.
6. User-Friendliness
The solution should be user-friendly for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Healthcare IT leaders and staff should be able to interpret the results and take appropriate action without requiring extensive training.
What Leaders Can Do
To identify and mitigate potential cyber risks to sensitive health data, software developers need to scan and test their software code for hidden vulnerabilities. By detecting and addressing vulnerabilities early in the development process, organizations can reduce the likelihood of costly breaches and ensure the safety and integrity of their software applications.
Adopting an automated software scanning solution frees developers to focus on developing software products while proactively identifying and addressing security flaws before they compromise sensitive patient data or disrupt healthcare systems. Health IT leaders should therefore prioritize the integration of these solutions into their development processes.
Not to do so runs the risk of appearing on CISA’s radar.
Paul Matthews Co-founder and CTO of TripleKey
Paul is a West Point graduate with a BS in Engineering with over two decades of software engineering experience. Paul has spearheaded teams at renowned firms such as Raytheon, Aristocrat Leisure, Xcite, and YouScience. Known for scaling teams and technology in high-growth startups, some with over a million active users, Paul excels at building teams that deliver solutions in highly regulated industries that prioritize trust, security, and compliance.
Contact: paul@triplekey.com
