Security in Wireless Body Area Networks for Healthcare Applications

Current Trends and Future Directions

Abstract

The emergence of wireless body area networks is revolutionizing patient care through non-invasive and unobtrusive monitoring of patients, increasing the efficiency of remote management of patients, assistance in times of crisis, and monitoring chronic conditions of patients. Still, on account of the confidentiality of the health information and the delicate function of WBANs, the need for reasonable security measures is clear. In this survey, the authors assess the security of WBANs with a focus on data confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and availability as well as regulatory requirements. The latest some improvements like use lightweight encryption mechanisms, machine learning-based anomaly detection for attacks, biometric methods for authentication, and using block chains solutions appeared in improving the WBAN systems security are encouraging. Energy constraints, issues of scaling of devices and requirements of standardization however, remain obstacles. Significant existing solutions and future directions including the use of quantum cryptography, AI-based protection and privacy sensitive data technology are discussed. The survey is expected to provide the WBAN security context while addressing its several challenges and offer a roadmap for future research and development for better and safe WBAN use in the medical field