A Proactive 6-Point Approach To Security For Neurotech Developers

By JoJo Platt and Itsik Francis, Corundum Neuroscience

In a memorable episode from the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, the hospital’s entire computer system is hacked and held for ransom. Staff can’t access patients’ medical records, cardiac monitors malfunction, and doctors must take extreme measures and improvise to save their patients.

Despite the Hollywoodesque dramatization, this highlighted a very real issue. In a hyper-connected world so reliant on technology, security is too often an afterthought, tacked on toward the end of development. However, it is a concern that must be addressed from the outset, especially in the neurotech space where we are dealing with — and even modulating — people’s brains.

There are several key security concerns neurotech developers must address from the outset to ensure both medical and ethical compliance, as well as commercial success. This extends beyond simple device security and must encompass the entire product life cycle. Proper security hygiene should be established and maintained throughout, covering intellectual property (IP) and data infrastructure, third-party relationships, and post-market operational maintenance.

1. Understand The Nature Of Threats

Fanciful as medical dramas may be, the Grey’s Anatomy episode was not far from reality. A number of issues and real-world breaches in recent years have exposed the serious damage that security failures can cause. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security flagged a vulnerability in Medtronic's N'Vision device for programming neurostimulator implants, which could have allowed unauthorized individuals to retrieve sensitive data. Meanwhile, the 2021 Scripps Health ransomware attack compromised 150,000 patient records and cost the health system over $112 million. Only last year, a cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group’s data processing vendor Change Healthcare forced healthcare organizations to return to manual procedures and impacted around 190 million people.

These incidents reinforce the fundamental need for robust security measures across every aspect of the ecosystem, especially in the neurotech space. When it comes to security, no one is immune to the risks or absolved of responsibility.

2. Good Security Hygiene Begins At The Outset

Everything begins with IP, and not least, security. After all, if your idea is worth investing in, it’s worth protecting. Neurotech developers can differentiate their products and devices by integrating strong IP protections from the outset, enhancing their value proposition. However, poor security practices, like storing sensitive patent filings on unsecured devices or sharing information over open networks, exposes you to the risk of corporate espionage, potentially jeopardizing an entire venture.

In the current paradigm where a dynamic startup’s office is the local café and its IP is stored on the founder’s thumb drive, creating a structure for sharing data within the company is critical. Proprietary research, business plans, prototypes, and simulations must all be protected from day one.

Implementing seemingly basic measures — such as strict adherence to using encrypted software, controlled data access, and multifactor authentication — instills a security-first mindset early on and helps the team to develop good habits that will ensure long-term security and regulatory compliance. For neurotech startups specifically, early-stage data security must prioritize safeguarding neural data, simulations, and patient-specific models to ensure highly sensitive data sets do not become vulnerable to unauthorized access or manipulation that could compromise patient privacy or device integrity.

3. Third-Party Concerns

Collaboration is essential for advancing health innovation, but it introduces new security challenges. Any team is only as strong as its weakest link, so while your company may have airtight security, you must also have complete confidence that all partners involved uphold the same rigorous standards before engaging in multiparty initiatives.

Data sharing collaborations must, therefore, be initiated with caution and ensure that all parties involved adhere to strict security protocols. Before integrating data sets, stakeholders should align on encryption standards, access controls, storage protocols, and compliance requirements. For example, when collaborating on brain-computer interface (BCI) projects, partners must ensure data security to prevent misuse such as unauthorized neuro-marketing, emotional manipulation, or invasive data breaches that could compromise patient thought data.

When working with third-party vendors, in particular, due diligence is essential to ensure vendors adhere to the same stringent security protocols that will mitigate risks and protect product integrity and patient data. Vendors handling sensitive neurological data from diagnostic apps must have secure processes to prevent inadvertent or deliberate misdiagnoses and “gaslighting,” thereby protecting patient mental health and trust. Given the critical role external partners play in maintaining the security of the entire ecosystem, any lapses in their security practices can create vulnerabilities and expose the entire system to attacks. Security is a collective responsibility, and these external partners play a critical role in maintaining the overall security of the ecosystem.

4. Practical And Proactive Security Measures

There are several proactive measures developers can implement early in the development process to establish a strong security foundation that extends throughout the product's life cycle.

With the advent of AI, developers can — and are increasingly — turning to large language models (LLMs) like Claude and ChatGPT to conduct risk modeling. Inputting your product architecture into these systems can generate a threat map identifying potential vulnerabilities and suggesting strategies to mitigate them. For example, AI-driven threat modeling could predict vulnerabilities in devices like neural implants, anticipating potential exploitation of signals controlling movement in paralyzed patients. Such tools help shift the perspective from a developer mindset to that of an attacker, offering valuable insights into where your system may be exposed.

However, caution must be exercised when engaging with LLMs and chatbots. Any data fed into a system can become accessible through the life and training models of that tool. Even proprietary LLMs can pose a challenge as, depending on the user agreement, they may not restrict outside access to one’s data. Developers looking to leverage these tools must educate themselves by scrutinizing the user agreements of different LLMs and being aware of what data they input. Once uploaded, it may no longer be proprietary.

Regular security audits, including penetration testing and code reviews, can help identify areas of vulnerability before they can be exploited. Neurotech-specific audits might include assessing vulnerabilities in neural signal encryption or identifying potential exposure routes used for therapeutic applications. These minimize risks and ensure the product is secure throughout its life cycle. Encrypting sensitive data from the outset is another critical step. Data both at rest and in transit should be encrypted to reduce the likelihood of exposure in the event of a breach.

Multifactor authentication should be implemented across all systems and devices to provide an additional layer of protection, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access sensitive resources. In parallel, the entire team should receive training on security best practices to reduce human error. Specialized training for handling neuro-sensitive data to avoid incidents like accidental emotional or cognitive data leakage is also crucial for maintaining patient trust. Thus, educating staff on maintaining good security hygiene to identify and avoid attempted breaches is integral to enhancing overall security integrity.

5. Regulatory Adherence

Developers must remember they have a duty of care to their users and patients, which includes ensuring that all aspects of the product comply with privacy and security regulations. This is essential in maintaining a reputation for reliability and safety in the industry. Adherence to regulatory standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and other privacy laws is critical to safeguarding patient privacy and ensuring responsible data handling.

For neurotech developers, this includes compliance with emerging regulations specifically addressing the protection of brain data, ensuring apps diagnosing mental states or conditions cannot misrepresent or mishandle sensitive neurological information. Perhaps as important as avoiding legal penalties, it also strengthens trust with providers, investors, and, most importantly, patients.

As governments increasingly recognize the importance of protecting sensitive data, legislation is evolving to address new concerns. Last year saw Colorado become the first U.S. state to sign into law legislation specifically aimed at protecting the privacy of consumers’ brain data. California soon followed, signaling the increasing recognition of the need for specialized protection and growing awareness about the risks of mishandling data, especially as they pertain to highly sensitive neurological information.

6. A Secure Product Life Cycle

Ultimately, security must be ingrained throughout the entire life cycle of the product or solution and built in from the very start. Even before deciding on the product or startup’s name, founders must already be establishing the security protocols to last the entire lifespan, starting with an initial security health check and then maintaining security hygiene throughout the development process. As solutions develop and enter the market, regular checkups, system upgrades, and software patches will be critical to address new threats as the security landscape evolves. Systems must be updated to remain resilient against new risks.

Startups must keep in mind that investors and patients, in particular, are becoming increasingly interested in security issues and the legal liabilities and reputational damage that can result from a lapse in security. For patients, especially those with neurological or mental health conditions, trust in the protection of their data is paramount. Prioritizing data security, especially post-market data, is essential to ensure that all stakeholders can have confidence in the technology.

Long-term hardware security is critical, as vulnerabilities in a device’s operations pose considerable risks beyond data breaches. Potential infiltration routes, like side-channel attacks, could allow attackers to infer neural activity, disrupt device functionality, or manipulate signals. This is particularly critical for implants and BCIs, which must remain secure against such attacks that could severely compromise patient safety and data integrity.

Other issues, such as firmware tampering and supply chain intervention, must also be proactively addressed through robust encryption and real-time anomaly detection. Secure hardware design, including shielding, randomized computations, and tamper-resistant architecture, is critical to mitigate these and other emerging threats to guarantee both patient safety and long-term reliability of the technology.

A Foundation For Long-Term Viability And Success

Security is not just preventing breaches. It is building resilience and trust to ensure the long-term viability of your product in a complex and evolving healthcare landscape. Companies that prioritize security from the start will be best positioned for differentiation in an increasingly crowded neurotech field, as both opportunities and threats emerge.

These scalable security measures will help ensure products remain protected throughout their life cycle, reducing regulatory risks and maintaining trust with patients, providers, and investors.

About The Authors:

JoJo Platt is the U.S. partnerships lead at Corundum Neuroscience, where she focuses on sourcing promising early-stage neuroscience companies and research in the United States. She has over 15 years’ experience in the neurotechnology space. Platt played a key role in the launch of the field of bioelectronic medicine. She serves on the organizing committees of IEEE’s Neural Engineering Conference and EMBC, Rice University’s InterfaceRice, Neurotech Leaders Forum, and Bioelectronic Medicine Forum and is a founding chair of the Cleveland NeuroDesign Entrepreneurs Workshop.

Itsik Francis, Ph.D., is the head of business development at Corundum Neuroscience, responsible for driving investment strategies and providing strategic support for its portfolio companies. He has held senior roles across venture capital, corporate development, and academia, focusing on advancing innovative healthcare solutions. Prior to joining Corundum, he was a principal at investment management company OurCrowd, where he led medtech, digital health, and impact investments. Before that, he served as head of innovation, strategic alliances, and digital health at Medison Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Medison Pharma. Francis holds a Ph.D. in medical molecular biology from University College London and conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University Medical Center, where he led Alzheimer's drug discovery projects.