Carriers of pacemakers from the American manufacturer Abbott are invited to go to the hospital. The devices are particularly susceptible to hacking.
There is a risk associated with placing electronic devices in the human body. It is indeed possible … to hack them. Whether inadvertently, by simple vandalism or for more reprehensible reasons. And some would be particularly exposed, putting their carriers in danger.
This is the case with a series of pacemakers manufactured by Abbott, an American pharmaceutical company. Researchers at the University of Louvain (Belgium) managed to hack these medical devices very easily.
Easy hacking
“We have shown that using a homemade antenna and a computer, a hacker could easily give instructions to a pacemaker,” explains Professor Rik Willems, cardiologist at the Faculty of Medicine of Louvain. Which is obviously dangerous. “
The concrete risk: a change in the rhythm regulated by the pacemaker, or the anticipated emptying of the battery. “These situations are only seen in television series, but they are not impossible,” adds Professor Willems. No incident was identified.
No operation in prospect
On August 29, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States’ Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products, issued a press release urging anyone with Abbott pacemakers to install the update available on the same day.
“The update requires an in-person visit to your doctor,” the FDA said in its press release. The process will take about 3 minutes ”, specifying that there is no need to proceed with a total replacement of the products.
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