The State of MedTech Cybersecurity: Insights from AdvaMed’s Annual Summit

Every day, medtech innovation becomes more connected and the cybersecurity threat environment grows. Across the industry, leaders are grappling with a shared challenge: how to strengthen the security and resilience of the technologies patients depend on. At AdvaMed, this work happens year-round through policy engagement, industry collaboration, and sustained conversations with regulators, developers, and health care delivery organizations.

The annual AdvaMed Cybersecurity Summit is one of the moments where this work comes together. This November, experts from medtech, health care delivery, government, and the broader security community convened to advance the dialogue, compare real-world experience, and align on the path forward. What emerged reinforced a central truth: cybersecurity is no longer a perimeter issue — it’s a shared responsibility across the entire ecosystem.

A Focus on Today’s Most Pressing Cyber Challenges

AdvaMed’s ongoing cybersecurity efforts are rooted in the forces shaping medtech today — from global supply chain pressures and AI-enabled device considerations to shifting FDA expectations, connected health privacy, coordinated vulnerability disclosure, and end-of-life device security. These themes guided this year’s Summit discussions and continue to anchor AdvaMed’s broader policy and convening work.

Key conversations included:

1. Actionable Regulatory Insight

FDA leaders provided clarity on cybersecurity expectations across the total product lifecycle, including considerations for AI-enabled technologies and post-market obligations. Their message echoed a point AdvaMed has emphasized for years: proactive cybersecurity is fundamental to device safety and effectiveness.

2. Building a Culture of Cybersecurity

Moderators and speakers explored what it takes to embed cybersecurity into the culture of medtech organizations — not just through technology, but through people, processes, and decision-making. The discussion reinforced that sustainable security requires intentional leadership, cross-functional alignment, and a commitment to continuous learning. It was particularly important to hear how senior leadership buy-in and commitment, even including the company’s Board of Directors, is a critical element to building an enduring culture of cybersecurity.

3. Real-World Hospital Perspectives

Clinical engineering and CISO leaders from health care delivery organizations highlighted the practical challenges of securing diverse and aging device fleets. Their insights underscored the need for more transparent communication, consistent information-sharing, and stronger alignment between manufacturers and HDOs. Not only are these communications important, but the “value proposition” of a product’s cybersecurity is a key consideration for purchasers of medical technologies.

Looking Ahead: AdvaMed’s 2026 Cyber Roadmap

The discussions we’re leading — at the Summit and throughout the year — point to several priorities for strengthening medtech cybersecurity in 2026 and beyond. As the landscape continues to evolve, organizations will need to:

• Embed cybersecurity earlier and more deliberately across product design and development.
• Strengthen communication with health care delivery partners to ensure shared understanding of risk and response.
• Prepare for long-term device management, including end-of-life planning, to reduce legacy vulnerabilities.
• And work collectively, across the industry and with the broader healthcare ecosystem, to address policy and legislative issues facing the industry.

At AdvaMed, our focus is to support this work by bringing the right voices together — manufacturers, regulators, clinicians, cybersecurity experts — to ensure the policies, tools, and guidance keep pace with the technology. These aren’t one-day conversations; they are year-round collaborations shaped by our members and the broader community we serve.

For companies looking to engage more deeply, AdvaMed membership provides a meaningful way to stay connected to these policy discussions, contribute to industry-wide solutions, and participate in working groups that directly influence our advocacy. We also encourage you to explore the full slate of cybersecurity, regulatory, and innovation-focused convenings we host throughout the year.

And of course, we look forward to continuing this momentum at next year’s AdvaMed Cybersecurity Summit as we work together to advance a more secure and resilient medtech ecosystem.