Usb Medical

USB for Medical Devices

Purpose

Implement safe USB device connectivity: class selection, enumeration handling, data validation, electrical and safety considerations.

When to Apply

• Adding/updating USB device functions (CDC, HID, MSC, custom).
• Handling PHI or control over USB.
• Managing firmware update or diagnostics via USB.

Requirements (testable)

1. Class Selection: Choose appropriate USB class; avoid custom class unless justified; document host driver expectations. Rationale: interoperability and supportability.
2. Enumeration Robustness: Validate descriptors; handle stalls/timeouts; retry with limits; no busy loops in ISR context. Rationale: robustness.
3. Data Validation: Validate lengths, types, and ranges on endpoint data; avoid trusting host input. Rationale: prevent overflow/unsafe commands.
4. Control vs Data Separation: Separate control endpoints from bulk data; ensure control writes are authenticated if they affect safety/config. Rationale: safety and security.
5. Power & Electrical: Respect VBUS detection; do not source power when not allowed; handle suspend/resume correctly. Rationale: electrical safety.
6. Firmware Update over USB: Require signed packages; verify before apply; atomic update/rollback. Rationale: integrity.
7. PHI Protection: Encrypt PHI over USB (application layer) if data stored/transported; do not rely solely on physical link. Rationale: confidentiality.

Recommended Practices

• Rate-limit control requests; track malformed request counts and detach on abuse.
• Use composite devices only when necessary; document interface mapping.
• Provide deterministic error codes for host logs.
• If using MSC for logs, ensure logs are sanitized of PHI or encrypted.

Patterns

Control request validation:

// REQ-USB-CTL-01; TEST-USB-04
int handle_ctrl_req(const usb_ctrl_req_t *r) {
    if (r->wLength > MAX_CTRL_LEN) return STALL;
    if (!is_supported_req(r->bRequest)) return STALL;
    return dispatch_req(r);
}

Firmware update guard:

// REQ-USB-OTA-02; TEST-USB-07
int handle_fw_update(const uint8_t *buf, size_t len) {
    if (!verify_signature(buf, len)) return -1;
    return apply_update_atomically(buf, len);
}

VBUS handling:

// REQ-USB-PWR-03; TEST-USB-09
void usb_vbus_changed(bool present) {
    if (present) enable_pullups();
    else disable_pullups();
}

Anti-Patterns (risks)

• Blindly trusting host control requests -> risk: arbitrary config change, memory issues.
• Unsigned firmware updates over USB -> risk: malware injection.
• Ignoring VBUS -> risk: back-powering host or undefined behavior.
• Using custom class without driver plan -> risk: poor interoperability.

Verification Checklist

• [ ] USB class choice justified; drivers documented.
• [ ] Enumeration and control handling validated with bounds and timeouts.
• [ ] Endpoint data validated; control vs data separated; auth for safety/config controls.
• [ ] VBUS/suspend/resume handled; power rules respected.
• [ ] USB firmware update path uses signature verification and atomic apply/rollback.
• [ ] PHI over USB encrypted at application layer if applicable.
• [ ] Abuse/malformed request handling and rate limits in place.

Traceability

• Use REQ-USB-### and TEST-USB-###; link firmware update controls to security skill.

References

• USB 2.0/3.x specs; class specs (CDC, HID, MSC, DFU).
• FDA cybersecurity guidance for update integrity (informative).

Changelog

• 1.0.0 (2026-01-04): Initial USB skill with class selection, validation, and secure update guidance.

Audit History

• 2026-01-04: Audit performed. Verified:
• USB 2.0/3.x spec references accurate
• USB class specs (CDC, HID, MSC, DFU) correctly mentioned
• VBUS and power handling patterns technically sound

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: AminAlam
• Source: AminAlam/meddev-agent-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.