Medical devices including pacemakers are at risk of being HACKED, experts warn
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- 22 Feb 2021
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Medical devices including pacemakers are at risk of being hacked , a worrying new study has revealed.
While there are yet to be any reported cases of this happening, researchers from the University of Kansas Hospital have discovered that it is a possibility in the future.
Professor Dhanuniya R. Lakkireddy, the lead author of the study, said: “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.”
The researchers highlight that several medical devices use advanced wireless communications between doctors and patients, which could be interrupted by hackers.
In patients with pacemakers and implantable heart defibrillators, this could prove potentially fatal, should hackers deplete the battery, or overload the device.
Professor Lakkireddy said: “At this time, there is no evidence that one can reprogram a cardiovascular implantable electronic device or change device settings in any form.
“The likelihood of an individual hacker successfully affecting a cardiovascular implantable electronic device or being able to target a specific patient is very low.
“A more likely scenario is that of a malware or ransomware attack affecting a hospital network and inhibiting communication.”
The researchers believe that cybersecurity should be addressed during product testing both pre- and post-market.
But they reassure that patients with pacemakers shouldn’t worry at this point.
Dr Lakkireddy added: “Given the lack of evidence that hacking of cardiac devices is a relevant clinical problem, coupled with evidence of the benefits of remote monitoring, one should exercise caution in depriving a patient of the clear benefit of remote monitoring.”
