Design and development of a secure DICOM-Network Attached Server

It is not easy to connect a web-based server with an existing DICOM server, and using a web-based server on the INTERNET has risks. In this study, we designed and developed the secure DICOM-Network Attached Server (DICOM-NAS) through which the DICOM server in a hospital-Local Area Network (LAN) was connected to the INTERNET. After receiving a Client's image export request, the DICOM-NAS sent it to the DICOM server with DICOM protocol. The server then provided DICOM images to the DICOM-NAS, which transferred them to the Client using HTTP. The DICOM-NAS plays an important role between DICOM protocol and HTTP, and only temporarily stores the requested images. The DICOM server keeps all of the original DICOM images. When unwanted outsiders attempt to get into the DICOM-NAS, they cannot access any medical images because these images are not stored in the DICOM-NAS. Therefore, the DICOM-NAS does not require large storage, but can greatly improve information security.