http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2011/09/08/new-jamming-tech-could-protect-pacemakers-from-hack-attack/ By David DiSalvo Pharma & Healthcare Forbes.com 9/08/2011 If you have a pacemaker or an insulin pump, you may not be aware that you’re potentially a walking target for hackers. Many medical implants contain tiny wireless radios that allow doctors to download data to track their patients’ conditions and adjust the functionality of the implant. If left unprotected, these same wireless transmitters can be tapped by hackers to collect personal data, or even reprogram the implant. This problem is less of a concern for next generation implants, which are being designed with the hacker threat in mind. But for millions of people with older devices, the only solution is to surgically remove and replace the implant. Researchers from MIT and the University of Massachusetts think they may have an easier solution, presented recently at the annual SIGCOMM Communications Conference in Toronto (as reported in the MIT Technology Review). They presented a laptop-sized device called “the shield” that emits a jamming signal to thwart hacker intrusions. The real innovation, however, isn’t the jamming signal, but the device’s ability to simultaneously jam while receiving and sending data over a secure link, allowing a doctor to still get the data while keeping intruders out. In tests, the device was able to block unauthorized signals up to 100 times stronger than the shield’s jamming signal, and also alert the intended target that someone is trying to tap their implant. The prototype shield presented at the conference is too large to be useful (it would have to be carried around in a backpack), but the technology can eventually be miniaturized to the size of a bracelet. Medical device manufacturers are already showing interest in the device, but there is one big obstacle to bringing it to market: the U.S. government. [...] _____________________________________________________________ Register now for the #HITB2011KUL - Asia's premier deep-knowledge network security event now in it's 9th year! http://conference.hitb.org/hitbsecconf2011kul/Received on Fri Sep 09 2011 - 00:58:20 PDT
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