Hackers May Target Pacemaker Technology
A few days ago we posted a story on the rising popularity of illegal cell phone jammers in the US. One of the main risks to tampering with cell phone connections is that jammers can theoretically mess with pacemakers, as well as block 911 emergency calls.

Today we just found out that pacemakers themselves may be suseptible to hackers. According to the Portsmouth Herald, "With breakthroughs in defibrillator technology come security concerns. The remote relaying system - which allows patients to hold a wand above their chest and transmit information through an answering machine-sized contraption - is encrypted. But like any telecommunications, there is the small risk of a hacker obtaining sensitive information, Jacobs said.

He added that, while the FDA has not approved it, technology now exists to allow physicians to program ICDs through the phone lines. Currently, heart disease patients have regular checkups to fine tune their defibrillators. "The devices aren’t perfect. As people change medication, their defibrillators need to be adjusted, or a battery can start to be depleted," Jacobs said.

"If it’s approved that we are able to re-program the device over the phone, it’s theoretically possible that someone could intercept that call and reprogram someone’s device in an adverse fashion." Source: Portsmouth Herald

Personally, the piece sounds needlessly alarmist, but then again, the whole nature of hacking is to find a way in to any closed system no matter what. Now if someone could come up with a way to remotely hack the hackers.....

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