Editing DICOM (section)

== Security ==
In December 2023, cybersecurity researcher Sina Yazdanmehr unveiled a critical security issue within the Store service. This revelation, presented at [[Black Hat Briefings]], demonstrated the potential for malicious actors to manipulate existing series of medical images. Yazdanmehr's research highlighted the alarming capability of attackers to destroy a series of images or introduce misleading indicators of illness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.blackhat.com/EU-23/Presentations/EU-23-Yazdanmehr-Millions_of_Patient_Records_at_Risk.pdf|title=Millions of Patient Records at Risk: The Perils of Legacy Protocols|website=i.blackhat.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/06/medical-scans-health-records-dicom-pacs-security/|title=Millions of patient scans and health records spilling online thanks to decades-old protocol bug|website=techcrunch.com|date=December 6, 2023 }}</ref>

Ensuring the security of patient data within DICOM is critical, as these files often contain sensitive personal health information (PHI). Security measures for DICOM data include encryption, access control, and auditing mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure of patient information. Compliance with regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ([[Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act|HIPAA]]) in the United States and the General Data Protection Regulation ([[General Data Protection Regulation|GDPR]]) in Europe is essential for protecting patient privacy and ensuring the integrity of medical records.

=== De-identification of DICOM ===

De-identification of DICOM refers to the process of removing or anonymizing personal health information (PHI) from medical images to protect patient privacy. This process is vital for sharing medical data for research, educational purposes, or public health activities while complying with privacy regulations. Techniques for de-identification involve stripping out or masking identifiable data elements within the DICOM metadata, such as patient names, birth dates, and other unique identifiers. Ensuring thorough de-identification is crucial to balance the benefits of data sharing with the obligation to maintain patient confidentiality.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apicom.pro/dicom-de-identification/|title=DICOM De-identification/Anonymization: Protecting Patient Privacy in Medical Imaging}}</ref>