A hacked heart?

How's this for an unusual target for hackers: Artificial hearts and other implantable medical gadgets.

Computer scientists at the University of Washington, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Harvard Medical School have found that those devices, which use wireless technology so doctors can monitor them, can be taken over and reprogrammed by computer-savvy evil-doers.

While I don't imagine these gadgets are a high priority target for the typical scruffy-haired, free-the-Internet type hackers in the United States, there are certainly others who could no doubt use the knowledge for devious ends.

Is there a digital gleam in the CIA's eye?

The scientists point out there are ways to make these devices more secure, and overall the goal is just to let the industry know that this could be a problem.

According to an article on Science Daily:

"We hope our research is a wake-up call for the industry," said Tadayoshi Kohno, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington. "In the 1970s, the Bionic Woman was a dream, but modern technology is making it a reality. People will have sophisticated computers with wireless capabilities in their bodies. Our goal is to make sure those devices are secure, private, safe and effective."

Here's the full story link:

Implantable Medical Devices May Expose Patients to Security, Privacy Risks

Cheers,
-SueVo