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Title: Deadly WiFi Pacemaker Hack


Birdbomb - March 12, 2008 07:55 PM (GMT)
Source

Scientists Demonstrate Deadly WiFi Pacemaker Hack

With the right kit and a little know-how, it is possible to hack into a pacemaker and take control. According to US researchers from the Medical Device Security Center, this is feasible because many pacemakers contain a radio designed to allow reprogramming of the heart-control devices.

The radio's signal is unencrypted, allowing a malicious attacker to turn off the pacemaker completely or deliver a shock to the heart which would cause ventricular fibrillation and thereby a cardiac arrest. The kit required is specialist and expensive, and an attacker would need to be in close physical proximity to the victim, but the possibility is very real.

The researchers didn't test on a live pacemaker wearer. Instead they put the target device into a bag of meat, which is much the same thing. The link below will take you to a PDF of the research paper.


Research Paper

QUOTE
Pacemakers, ICDs, and other implantable medical
devices have improved and saved innumerable lives. To our
knowledge, no IMD patient has ever been harmed by a
malicious security attack.

While our research demonstrates
that such a scenario is possible, our goals in conducting this
research are to:
(1) demonstrate that IMD security and privacy vulnerabilities exist;
(2) propose solutions to the identified weaknesses;
(3) encourage the development of more robust security and privacy features for IMDs; and
(4) improve the privacy and safety of IMDs for the millions of patients who
enjoy their benefits.

gel61820 - March 12, 2008 10:52 PM (GMT)
Very interesting... and very scary

Birdbomb - March 12, 2008 11:58 PM (GMT)
Not likely to happen, BUT with so many devices using RF signals, conflicting signals aren't going to be all that unusual.

Andrew had a bit of a scare Click---->>me

gel61820 - March 13, 2008 12:32 PM (GMT)
Thanks BB, I remember reading that thread from Andrew. That is rather frightening to not know when someone could sit next to you on a train, in a restaurant, etc and have this happen.

By the way, my battery goes dead in half the time that the rest of my co-workers cell phones do, luckily my employer just replaces the phone for me with the latest model. I use the bluetooth when driving but having that thing stuck to my ear is not for me all day long. LOL

:im_033:

momofky - March 14, 2008 06:43 PM (GMT)
can this happen if the VNS is off??

Birdbomb - March 14, 2008 08:32 PM (GMT)
I don't know but I'll find out. I have a friend who deals with electronics. Give me a few days.



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