Cybersecurity is essential in Digital Health and MedTech. With sensitive data, cloud platforms, and connected devices all in play, there is a lot at risk. A cyber attack can lead to data breaches, unsafe devices, or disrupted care.
Penetration testing, also known as ethical hacking, is a way to find and fix weaknesses before real attackers do. It helps meet regulations like HIPAA, FDA guidance, the MDR, and ISO 13485.
Below, we explain the four main types of penetration tests. Each one is explained simply, with real examples and why it matters for compliance and patient safety.
An external penetration test checks if a hacker outside your organisation can break in. It focuses on anything connected to the internet, websites, portals, cloud servers, and more.
The tester simulates what a real cyber criminal would do to find a way in.
Example
A hospital offers a patient login portal on its website. During an external pen test, a tester finds the admin login page is exposed and still uses default credentials. If left unpatched, this could lead to access to patient records.
Compliance and benefits
Helps meet HIPAA rules to prevent unauthorised access to electronic patient data.
Supports FDA and MDR cybersecurity requirements for medical devices connected to the internet.
Aligns with ISO 13485 by identifying technical risks in your systems.
Protects patient-facing apps, cloud platforms, and APIs from public threats.
Internal pen tests simulate an attack that comes from inside your network. This could be from a rogue employee, a contractor, or malware that’s already made it through.
The tester checks how far someone could go once they’re inside.
Example
A MedTech company tests what would happen if a staff member’s laptop were compromised. The tester discovers that from the infected device, it’s possible to access confidential design files for a new medical device, without needing extra passwords.
Compliance and benefits
Verifies internal access controls and whether staff have only the access they truly need.
Supports HIPAA’s “minimum necessary” rule for data access.
Shows auditors you are testing for insider threats, not just external ones.
Helps enforce least privilege and segmentation policies, especially for sensitive data or production systems.
In a blind test, the tester is only given basic details – usually just the company name or a web address. The idea is to simulate a realistic attack where the hacker starts with almost no knowledge.
Your security team knows the test is coming, but not when or how.
Example
A digital health platform runs a blind test against its telehealth service. The tester begins with just the company website. They eventually discover a misconfigured API that lets them retrieve patient video logs without proper authentication.
Compliance and benefits
Tests how your team responds to an attack in real-time.
Meets risk assessment and technical evaluation requirements under HIPAA and ISO 27001.
Validates your incident detection tools (like SIEMs or alert systems).
Provides realistic insights into what a real attacker could uncover with minimal intel.
In a double-blind test, the tester has little or no information about your systems, and your internal team doesn’t know the test is happening. This makes it as close as possible to a real-world attack.
It’s like a cybersecurity fire drill.
Example
A medical device company commissions a double-blind test. The tester launches a phishing campaign that tricks one staff member into clicking a fake IT email. No one on the security team noticed for over 24 hours, revealing a gap in detection and response.
Compliance and benefits
Supports real-world readiness under HIPAA’s Security Rule for detecting and mitigating breaches.
Helps meet FDA and MDR expectations for ongoing device security evaluation.
Reveals if your team can spot and contain threats before damage is done.
Strengthens your organisation’s security culture and incident playbooks.
Fuzz testing (or fuzzing) is a technique used during penetration testing to identify hidden bugs and vulnerabilities. It involves sending large volumes of random, malformed, or unexpected data to an application, API, or device to see if it crashes or behaves incorrectly.
Unlike traditional pen testing, which focuses on finding misconfigurations or access flaws, fuzz testing uncovers issues deep within the software, such as input handling errors or memory leaks, that could lead to security problems.
Example
A MedTech company fuzz-tests its remote patient monitoring API by sending thousands of unexpected JSON payloads. One malformed input causes the API to crash and restart, revealing a flaw that could be exploited in a denial-of-service attack.
Compliance and benefits
Recommended in FDA guidance as part of robust medical device security testing.
Finds edge-case vulnerabilities that human testers might miss.
Complements external and blind testing by covering low-level code behaviour.
Helps build safer, more reliable systems – especially for patient-facing apps and devices that process untrusted inputs.
Find out more about Penetration Testing with Periculo, and by regularly testing and acting on the findings, your organisation can build safer systems, smarter teams, and stronger trust with patients and partners alike.