[ISN] Board Urges Feds to Prevent Medical Device Hacking

From: InfoSec News <alerts_at_private>
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:34:58 -0500 (CDT)
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/04/security-of-medical-devices/

By Kim Zetter
Threat Level
Wired.com
April 10, 2012

In the wake of increasing concern about the security of wireless medical 
devices, a privacy and security advisory board is calling on the 
government to grant the FDA or other federal entity the authority to 
assess the security of devices before they’re released for sale to the 
market.

The group also wants the government to establish a clear channel through 
the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team for reporting 
security problems with medical devices — including pacemakers, 
defibrillators, and insulin pumps – so vulnerabilities can be easily 
tracked and addressed.

Advances in technology have created numerous medical devices that can be 
monitored and controlled wirelessly to change settings and gauge that 
they’re operating properly. But vendors have failed to secure the 
devices to prevent an unauthorized party from communicating and 
tampering with them — a potentially deadly security problem.

That prompted the Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, which 
advises the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as 
well as the Office of Management and Budget, to send a letter to the 
latter office (PDF) on Mar. 30 calling for reform.

[...]


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Received on Tue Apr 10 2012 - 22:34:58 PDT

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