What’s the price on health? Wireless Hacking is No Joke.

Hackers have extended their reach beyond just computers and phones.  Some are targeting devices that go into a patient’s body, such as pacemakers, or that help administer drugs, such as insulin pumps.  Researchers have successfully demonstrated how a hacker can wirelessly hack into the system and take control.  As a result, a random level of electrical shock can be sent to the heart patient or the wrong dosage of drugs can be injected.  Although the incentive in such a hack is not obvious, who knows what goes on in the mind of a criminal?  Devices with inadequate security are prone to such attacks, and the financial liabilities to the manufacturers can be crippling.  Fortunately, these kinds of breaches can be easily prevented by implementing a hardware-level security device.