Securing a medical wireless LAN system

Abstract

Recently the concept of MedLAN systems dedicated to application scenarios for wireless local area networks (WLAN) in hospital A&E departments has been presented. An essential element in the acceptance of the system will be reassuring all stakeholders in the system that data transmitted using the system is secure. In order for the stakeholders to be reassured technical and managerial issues have to be addressed. Technical issues to be addressed include selection of a suitable encryption algorithm with a 128-bit key for encrypting the wireless links and identification of a suitable crypto-board to be fitted to the system laptop computers. In many respects the managerial issues pose bigger challenges than the technical issues. Where the MedLAN system is being introduced members of the E-MED Systems Research Group will have to liaise with hospital managers to establish how the hospital's data security-policy can be expanded to accommodate the E-Med system and the cost implications of this expansion determined. The cost of insuring the security of the data handled by the MedLAN system will have to be determined.