ICSMA-17-255-01_Philips' IntelliView MX40 Patient Worn Monitor (WLAN) Vulnerabilities
Monitor6.5ICS-CERT ICSMA-17-255-01Sep 12, 2017
Attack VectorAdjacent
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary
Philips IntelliVue MX40 Patient Worn Monitor (WLAN) contains vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker with network access to cause denial of service by disrupting wireless communications. The vulnerabilities affect the device's ability to maintain WLAN connectivity and process wireless data, potentially interrupting real-time patient monitoring transmission to the central station.
What this means
What could happen
An attacker on the same wireless network could disrupt the MX40 monitor's WLAN connection, preventing patient vital signs and alarm data from reaching the central monitoring station and potentially interrupting critical patient care visibility.
Who's at risk
Healthcare facilities using Philips IntelliVue MX40 Patient Worn Monitors with WLAN capability for wireless patient monitoring in hospital wards, ICUs, emergency departments, and telemetry areas should assess risk. This affects any wireless patient monitoring deployment where the MX40 is used for continuous vital signs transmission.
How it could be exploited
An attacker with access to the same wireless network as the MX40 monitor can send specially crafted wireless packets to trigger unhandled exceptions or cause the WLAN stack to fail, forcing the device to lose connectivity and stop transmitting patient data to the monitoring center.
Prerequisites
- Attacker must be on the same wireless network (or within radio range) as the MX40 monitor
- No valid credentials required
- Device running firmware version prior to B.06.18
remotely exploitableno authentication requiredlow complexityaffects safety systems (patient monitoring)no patch available
Exploitability
Low exploit probability (EPSS 0.4%)
Affected products (1)
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
IntelliVue MX40 Patient Worn Monitor (WLAN only): all< B.06.18No fix yet
Remediation & Mitigation
0/5
Do now
0/2HARDENINGIsolate MX40 monitors on a dedicated wireless network segment with strict access controls and encryption (WPA2/WPA3)
WORKAROUNDDeploy wired backup monitoring for critical patients to ensure continuous vital signs visibility if wireless is disrupted
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/3Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption
HARDENINGImplement wireless intrusion detection to monitor for suspicious activity targeting MX40 devices
HARDENINGRestrict wireless network access to authorized devices using MAC filtering and strong authentication
WORKAROUNDMonitor MX40 device connectivity logs and set up alerts for unexpected disconnections
CVEs (2)
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