Researcher Turns Pacemakers Into Mass Murder Machines
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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Regrettably, sometimes a release like this is the only way to get companies to act on this kind of information. Sometimes people in positions of power can be very cavalier about the possibility of other people's lives being in jeopardy, judging the danger to be too remote to warrant acting upon. If someone did act on it, it could well take a very long time before anyone discovered the means by which people were being killed. Patients with serious heart conditions dying? Not a surprise to anyone. And having all patients who had that brand of pacemaker come in for a firmware reset- or possibly a replacement- would not be cheap or easy, and result in a significant PR black eye.Lyri said:
Also, he only did the experiment on one brand; that's not to say that others might not be similarly hackable. By making this information public, he gives companies he hasn't tested reason to make sure that if they need security protocols on their software, it's up to snuff.
And finally, there's nothing in the article to say that he didn't make that information available to the company- and for all the reasons above, subsequently making the information public may have been the right call.
I'm surprised no one has made a Cheney joke yet. Tasteful bunch.
Now im no expert so explain me this: if a device produces a 830V shock discharging its battery, how do you recharge it without, you know, changing the battery? can you recharge the device remotely, like those wi-fi battery rechargers?
i wont mention any names buti knew a guy that found a flaw in a software design that pretty much allowed anyone to control your computer if they knew how. the guy contacted the company stating this and that he could help. the companies reply was something like "there is no flaw, you are stupid". he did in the end used it to hack some government based computer, which got attention fast, and he was going to jail, but the company decided to hire him instead to fix the flaw and others if there are any. going public was his only shot at fixing it.
Excuse me while I go the gym and do 3 hours of cardio a day so I never get stuck with a pacemaker...
"Hey, did you get that email?"
"No let me just check my pacemaker."
I've certainly considered the matter but I didn't think the manufacturer would actually put wireless communications in a pacemaker. Just...why?Doom972 said:
"Hey, did you get that email?"
"No let me just check my pacemaker."
Why do pacemakers even have wifi connections that allow firmware updates? Why would you ever need to do that?
+1 reason to avoid poor cardiac health!
I've spent the past six years fully believing pacemakers = torture devices after witnessing my uncle's death in hospital... turns out they can't always be switched off, therefore will keep shocking somebody who would otherwise have died quickly, painlessly and peacefully.
Basically, no bugger's putting one of those things in my chest. Ever.
I've spent the past six years fully believing pacemakers = torture devices after witnessing my uncle's death in hospital... turns out they can't always be switched off, therefore will keep shocking somebody who would otherwise have died quickly, painlessly and peacefully.
Basically, no bugger's putting one of those things in my chest. Ever.
Why would you announce that? Why wouldn't you just contact the manufacturer, maybe a few of the other manufacturers, and say "hey, if I found this, someone else might as well. Just wanted to let you know, there's a critical flaw here." No, instead, you release it to the internet, where it can be used for harm. Lovely.
Most pacemakers can be put in by just making an incision in a major artery and inserting it from there, i'm not sure if they just change batteries or the whole device though. I wouldn't be surprised if they is a battery that can be charged by a trans-dermal patch out there though, at least in development.Strazdas said:
Pacemakers send a charge based on the electric pulses going through the heart and make appropriate modifications when necessary. Pacemakers keep your heart from failing they usually don't pump out electricity 24/7, while i'm sure that's possible for some people it's much less common.
I wanna say that pacemakers have fail safes that when an excess current is applied it increases the resistance of the device but if someone can control the voltage they would probably be able to change the resistance as well.
Yeah, you show those elderly/people with heart problems!
But why do pacemakers have fucking hackable wifi connections?
I would point out Deus ex, but everyone and there mother already did.
But why do pacemakers have fucking hackable wifi connections?
I would point out Deus ex, but everyone and there mother already did.
Sadly, these sort of pacemaker hacks have been around since 2008 at least, see http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/12/heart_monitor_hacking/ and http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/25/medtronic_insulin_pump_hacking/
It's outrageous that the medical device industry has done NOTHING in the past 4 years to improve the security of their implants. How many will have to die before they do something?
It's outrageous that the medical device industry has done NOTHING in the past 4 years to improve the security of their implants. How many will have to die before they do something?
