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Editor: Marc Jay Bern
Profession: Defective Medical Device Lawyer

Category: Medtronic News

Researchers say hackers may be able to access and remotely control medical devices such as cardiac defibrillators, pacemakers and insulin pumps, all which emit wireless signals.

In 2008, a coalition of researchers wrote that they remotely accessed a common cardiac defibrillator using easy-to-find radio and computer equipment.

Researchers, in a lab, used wireless access to steal personal information from the medical device and to induce fatal heart rhythms by taking control of the system.

"Medical devices have provided important health benefits for many patients, but their increasing number, automation, functionality, connectivity and remote-communication capabilities augment their security vulnerabilities, writes Dr. William Maisel, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

[CNN has the full story].