Implant Hacking Possible, Not Probable… yet

This is an update to our earlier post about the vulnerabilities of AICDs and pacemakers to hack attacks. Here’s what we have learned now. It is very common for implantable devices to be programmed and maintained using wireless communication. As any paranoid blogger using a wi-fi hotspot knows, wireless communication is often very insecure and easily monitored unless proper precautions are taken.
Researchers are reporting that they were able to acquire confidential patient records from a Medtronic ICD, as well as deliver fatal shocks and shut the device down.
Manufacturers have been lax on implementing security methods in the devices because of battery drain concerns. The other points of this study suggest methods that could theoretically be used to make the devices more secure, although none of them have been tested in the field.
It is important to note that the researchers required $30,000 of lab equipment and a distance of 2 cm from the device in order to carry out the hack, so this is probably not an imminent threat to the thousands of people with these devices.
While the threat might not be imminent, Dick Cheney will probably lock himself in his man-sized safe just to be sure.
Read the NYTimes.com article here…
Read more about the study at secure-medicine.org…