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Hacking Medical Equipment

Hacking Medical Equipment

Sep 16th 2019

Photo by Ilya Pavlov on UnsplashCyberthreats and cybercrime are terms most everyone in the modern day are aware of. From real reports of computer viruses like Stuxnet infecting Iranian uranium enrichment facilities to the cataclysmic possibility that entire energy grids could be shut down are liable to send people into a manic frenzy. Technology is an ever-present part of our lives and we have good reason to be fearful of the threat of cybercrime, and we ought to be prepared to defend or privacy and security.

Apart from state-sponsored cyber attacks seeking political dominance or retaliation, there is also a prolific community of commercial cybercriminals trading the newest viruses on backend pages of private webchat sites keen on targeting everyday people's financial wellbeing. Early on, the greatest dangers people faced were identity theft or skimmed bank accounts. However, as medical equipment progresses there are equipment, including pacemakers that are gaining bluetooth capabilities to better tweak individual servicing, there is a greater threat that these devices may be hacked.

Photo by Jair Lázaro on Unsplash

Tweaks to the code of a pacemaker may offset its efficiency, whether done at a great or small magnitude, for certain patients the hack may prove ultimately fatal. Cybercrime may soon be able to wreck greater havoc on specific medical equipment and individual targeting raising its arsenal of weapons to include murder by medical device malfunction.

Still, encryption of any electronic means of communications can serve as a deterrent and there will likely be a rise in protecting the internal infrastructure of medical systems and devices. However, there is a necessity to be aware and prepared of the coming changes as technology evolves and our organic world becomes evermore connected with inorganic electronic technologies. 

Sources & More Information:

https://www.alpinesecurity.com/blog/most-dangerous...

https://www.kswo.com/2019/09/14/norman-cyber-secur...