First Internet-Connected Pacemaker Goes Live 158
The Register is reporting that a New York woman has become the first person to have her pacemaker wirelessly connected to the internet for full-time monitoring. "The device contains a radio transmitter which connects to receiving equipment in New Yorker Carol Kasyjanski's home, using a very low-power signal around 400MHz, to report on the condition of her heart. Any problems are instantly reported to the doctor, and regular checkups can be done by remotely interrogating the home-based equipment — the pacemaker itself doesn't have an IP address, fun as that would be."
Brave New World: Get an Internet Pace Maker (Score:3, Insightful)
Would you want one with an IP address?
Not me, thank you.
Re:"Fatal error" jokes aside... (Score:2, Insightful)
When something impressive comes along, most /. readers are simply quick to point out vulnerabilities, that's all.
Like you said, Remote logging of activity - incredibly useful, right?
Remote control, for example, is simply one of the largest hazards.
It doesn't have an IP address - because its just broadcasting, but that could mean it has an SSID on that particular wave - which means that perhaps anyone can access the data. Is it encrypted? Does it contain personal information?
The internet itself isn't a secure place, and wireless makes it less secure from a physical standpoint, so its just easy for people to line up jokes about things going wrong: It's in an enviroment where it's possible and likely.
Re:Niggers (You love that word just admit it) (Score:1, Insightful)