Keeping Patient Data Secure in the Age of Radiology Artificial Intelligence: Cybersecurity Considerations and Future Directions

Chintan Shah; Douglas Nachand; Christoph Wald; Po-Hao Chen

doi:10.1016/j.jacr.2023.06.023

Keeping Patient Data Secure in the Age of Radiology Artificial Intelligence: Cybersecurity Considerations and Future Directions

J Am Coll Radiol. 2023 Sep;20(9):828-835. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2023.06.023. Epub 2023 Jul 22.

Authors

Chintan Shah¹, Douglas Nachand², Christoph Wald³, Po-Hao Chen⁴

Affiliations

¹ Associate Staff, Section of Neuroradiology and Section of Imaging Informatics, Safety, Improvement, Quality and Experience Officer-Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Electronic address: shahc2@ccf.org.
² Staff, Section of Abdominal Imaging and Section of Imaging Informatics, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
³ Professor of Radiology, Tufts University Medical School, Lahey Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Chair, Lahey Radiology, Chair, ACR Informatics Commission. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/waldchristoph.
⁴ Chief Informatics Officer, Imaging Institute, Medical Director for Enterprise Radiology, IT Division, Staff, Section of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio Chair, Informatics Advisory Council, ACR; Co-Chair, 2023 Data Science Summit, ACR. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/howardpchen.

PMID: 37488026
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacr.2023.06.023

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions are increasingly being incorporated into radiology workflows. Implementation of AI comes along with cybersecurity risks and challenges that practices should be aware of and mitigate for a successful and secure deployment. In this article, these cybersecurity issues are examined through the lens of the "CIA" triad framework-confidentiality, integrity, and availability. We discuss the implications of implementation configurations and development approaches on data security and confidentiality and the potential impact that the insertion of AI can have on the truthfulness of data, access to data, and the cybersecurity attack surface. Finally, we provide a checklist to address important security considerations before deployment of an AI application, and discuss future advances in AI addressing some of these security concerns.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; confidentiality; cybersecurity; data security; privacy.