Digitization: Lauterbach confirms security gap in e-patient files

The outgoing Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach has confirmed that after the nationwide start of the new electronic patient file (EPA), a new vulnerability was discovered. “Such attack scenarios were to be expected in the early phase of the EPA start. I am grateful to the gematics that it reacted immediately to the first information and that this security gap also closed,” the SPD politician wrote on the X platform in the evening and linked a “mirror” report.

According to this report, the security measures newly added for the official start of the electronic patient files had also proven to be inadequate. According to “Spiegel”, so -called ethical hackers of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) overrun a central, newly added protection of protection and then informed the authorities. On Wednesday afternoon, the operators reacted to the note with an immediate emergency measure that the further security gap was closed for the time being.

The mostly federal digital agency Gematik confirmed this presentation. The Chaos Computer Club has described a scenario for unauthorized access that electronic replacement certificates for insurance cards could be reached to access information to access individual electronic patient files, she said on her website. “The Gematik has closed the security gap, which could exist for individual insured persons fewer health insurance companies. The potentially affected insured are identified and protected.”

“Hochlauf phase” started on Tuesday

At the end of last year, the IT security experts had made a number of weaknesses in the EPA system. In order to increase security, additional precautions were implemented during the test phase. Since January 15, 70 million of the 74 million legally insured persons throughout Germany have received an EPA from their health insurance.

After a test in three regions, the nationwide expansion started on Tuesday. A step -by -step rush is planned. The EPA is intended to be a digital memory for examination findings, laboratory values ​​and information on medication and accompany patients for a lifetime. You can view them via apps on the smartphone.