MedCrypt Inc., a cybersecurity company that provides data security as a service to robot manufacturers, today announced it has won contracts to work with three companies building surgical robotics systems.
The Encinitas, Calif.-based company did not disclose which companies they are working with, but said they include leading manufacturers of surgical robotics technologies and virtual reality applications for minimally invasive surgery.
Axel Wirth, chief security strategist at MedCrypt, told Robotics 24/7 the company isn’t sharing the names of the companies at this time because it wants to respect its clients’ privacy. There are also competition concerns.
“These may be new entries in the market that would be of competitive value if their information is disclosed to early,” he said.
Security from front to back
MedCrypt said it helps its customers with every step of their medical device cybersecurity strategy, including secure development lifecycle (SDLC) processes, business strategy, product architecture assessments, process reengineering, change management, and regulatory strategy.
MedCrypt said its suite of security solutions is comprised of four key products and services:
- Heimdall: Tracks security vulnerabilities based on device Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and enables risk-based management of mitigations.
- Canary: Captures device security and behavior data in near real-time, enabling remote monitoring and anomaly detection.
- Cryptography: Manage cryptographic keys and protect confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data in transit.
- Consulting: End-to-end business strategy from product architecture assessments, process reengineering to change management, threat modeling to regulatory strategy.
“The surgical robotics space is growing at an incredible pace, and we’re excited to be partnering with some of the most advanced next-gen systems to enable secure innovation,” stated Mike Kijewski, CEO of MedCrypt. “The FDA requires manufacturers to include security features into their devices and our solution enables them to align with FDA’s guidelines.”
MedCrypt said it provides enhanced security features to seven of the top 10 medical device manufacturers as well as startups and mid-sized companies, specifically for medical products by Accuray, Liberate Medical, RefleXion. MedCrypt recently expanded its referral program, adding software company Greenlight Guru.
Wirth said MedCrypt has been working with surgical robotics companies since its founding in 2016. He said the space has accelerated in the past few years. Advances in visualization, robotics, and AI have enabled innovations in surgical robots and minimally invasive surgery, the company notes
It’s also a safety-conscious market, given that these robots work with patient data, he said.
Surgical robot market poised to grow
According to Verified Market Research, the global surgical robotics market is projected to reach $22.2 billion by 2028, up significantly from its $6.1 billion valuation in 2020.
These innovations require connectivity to deliver advanced clinical care, which in turn require security protections to assure patient safety, system availability, and confidence in data integrity, the company said.