Hackers May Attack Pacemaker Patients
Last reviewed: 17.10.2021
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Hackers are professional software "crackers" that can cause irreparable harm to laptops, tablets and other technical devices. However, not everyone knows that other equipment related to medicine, health and the life of patients can also be subjected to hacker attacks. For example, theoretically, you can “hack” even an electric pacemaker, which will lead to a permanent death of the patient. Fortunately, such cases have not yet been recorded, but experts consider it their duty to find possible ways to protect against mortal danger.
Implanted medical devices are mainly interconnected via Bluetooth. This network has a radius of up to 10 meters, and theoretically the signal can be intercepted by any interested person who is in the specified coverage area. For example, a criminal can make changes to the work of a cardiological stimulator and destroy a patient.
“Now in medicine, these or other devices are increasingly connected to the human body. It is commonplace to use “smart” watches or fitness trackers, virtual reality glasses, etc. Our task is to maintain communication security, as well as speed up bandwidth and reduce power consumption, ”explains Shreya Sen, a professional electrical engineer.
Engineering specialists representing Purdue University have come up with a technical innovation that reduces the radius of the Bluetooth signal to five millimeters. The new device uses the conducting abilities of the human body, which creates a kind of closed network into which no extraneous equipment can penetrate. The device is not only designed to counter hacking, but also has an excellent energy-saving property.
Today, the device looks like a massive wristwatch. However, in the near future, specialists want to minimize the size of a small chip that can be built into any medical equipment. The novelty will help patients with pacemakers feel completely safe. There is also considerable benefit for medical workers, because with the help of the device it will be possible to adjust the settings of the implanted electronics without additional surgical intervention. It will be enough just to pick up the remote control and make the necessary changes.
Recall, most recently, the US National Security Service announced a warning that implanted pacemakers from Medtronic have a vulnerability, can be hacked or remotely reprogrammed by hackers. Nevertheless, the company assured that the situation is under control, and there is no reason for panic.
Information is published on the Daily Mail page (www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6840637/DHS-warns-hackers-defibrillators-theyve-implanted-rewrite-commands.html).