As the technology that powers medical implants grows more and more complex, researchers warn that they could become a prime target for cybersecurity intrusions. A new paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology focuses on the potential risk of medical implants like pacemakers to be hacked by individuals seeking to cause trouble. The study brings some good news, but also urges caution in the design of future medical devices.
At the moment, the vast majority of medical implants are “dumb,” meaning that they have limited remote connectivity and cannot be accessed or altered by a would-be hacker. However, some newer implants feature remote monitoring features that allow doctors to keep an eye on a patient’s wellbeing without requiring them to visit a clinic, and it’s features like those which could offer a gateway for bad actors wishing to do harm.
“True cybersecurity begins at the point of designing protected software from the outset, and requires the integration of multiple stakeholders, including software experts, security experts and medical advisors,” Dhanunjaya R. Lakkireddy MD, of the University of Kansas Hospital, and co-author of the paper, explains. The doctor’s urgency for forward-looking security features is shared by many in the medical community, as well as the patients themselves. – READ MORE
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