The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has initiated a $50 million funding program aimed at improving cybersecurity in hospitals. The Universal PatchinG and Remediation for Autonomous DEfense (UPGRADE) program, managed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), seeks proposals from the private sector to develop tools for vulnerability mitigation and auto-detection.
The initiative addresses the increasing cyber threats targeting the healthcare sector, which have led to significant disruptions, including recent attacks on hospitals. The program aims to secure medical devices and systems, ensuring their safety and functionality to allow healthcare providers to focus on patient care.
The complexity of healthcare software systems and the extended time required to develop security patches pose significant challenges. UPGRADE aims to streamline this process, enabling faster deployment of security measures with minimal disruption to hospital operations.
HHS officials highlight the urgency of protecting interconnected healthcare systems from cyberattacks, emphasizing the need for resilient security solutions. ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn noted that the program aims to reduce the time needed to deploy security patches to days, enhancing the overall security and reliability of hospital systems.