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Medical Devices Vulnerable To Cyber-Criminals

While perusing the internet recently, I came across an article on the site Future Crimes created by futurist and cyber-crime expert, Marc Goodman. The article was called “Hacking the Human Heart: Medical Devices Found Subject to Technical Attack”, which spoke about the fact that the latest generation of medical devices have been manufactured so they can be controlled remotely by medical professionals to deliver high-quality care to recipients. The article went on to discuss how hackers can use this vulnerability to spread havoc.

No one can argue for the need of such devices and the countless lives they have saved and will continue to save. However, there is a dark side to this technology that needs to be addressed by the medical profession, the companies that make these life-saving devices, and our Government. The fact is — anything with an IP address or URL can be attacked through the internet.

Imagine the implications should cyber-criminals hack into medical databases, steal the IP addresses of these devices and target specific individuals! This is not something that is only possible in the movies or crime novels — it is possible right now.

The need for network and web application security has never been greater and will rise significantly as technology advances. Just think about it, almost every device we use today can be controlled via the internet.

Here are a few more articles from Future Crimes that should increase your concern:

From Crowdsourcing to Crimesourcing: The Rise of Distributed Criminality

Mobile Phone Botnets: Is Your Refrigerator Next?

When Satellites Go Rogue: On the Origins of Space Crime

Hacking Airport X-Ray Machines: Terrorist Implications

100 Cars Remotely Hacked: The Back-Door in Your Vehicle May Not Be the One You Think

Large corporations spend millions of dollars on IT security every year and because of this, cyber-criminals are increasingly targeting Small-to-Medium size businesses (SMBs) that traditionally have weaker IT security programs. The alarming fact is that many SMBs are involved in high-tech businesses and if their networks and Web Applications are not hardened, can more easily fall prey to hackers.

All businesses, no matter the industry, should make network and web security a top priority.