The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued draft guidelines to medical device makers on how to protect patients from cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the devices.

"Cybersecurity threats to medical devices are a growing concern," the agency said in a statement. "The exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities presents a potential risk to the safety and effectiveness of medical devices."

The draft guidance, which is not legally binding, recommends companies take a number of actions, including monitoring and assessing risk, adopting a coordinated vulnerability disclosure policy, and taking measures to address cybersecurity risk early.