Keeping Pacemakers Safe From Hackers 167
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control have now developed a scheme for protecting implantable medical devices against wireless attacks. The approach relies on using ultrasound waves to determine the exact distance between a medical device and the wireless reader attempting to communicate with it." I had no idea that things have gotten so bad that hearts are being hacked.
Re:I can see it now... (Score:5, Informative)
Someday, some geek will try to overclock his artificial heart...
Heck people overclock their normal hearts today anyway. It's called cocaine...
I've actually seen someone with a cocaine induced [bmj.com] long QT syndrome [wikipedia.org]. A hairy day in the ER that was, considering he was psychotic at the time... it took quite a few of us to hold him still enough to get the IV going.
Re:And somewhere... (Score:5, Informative)
Who, oh, do you mean the draft dodging guy who smokes hashish and sleeps with hippie chicks while writing crazy ass cyberpunk drivel?
I'm quite sure he's referring to William Gibson [wikipedia.org], the Tony-Award-winning playwright and novelist who died last year at the age of 94, still writing. His best-known work is "The Miracle Worker," a true American stage classic.
Why anyone on Slashdot would refer to that other William Gibson is beyond me.
Re:From someone with an implant.. (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not a doctor, but I've been watching Glenn Beck, and here's what I think he'd have to say:
Why bother fixing it? They're just going to implant tiny remote-controlled exploding devices in the chest cavities of all citizens once the Socialist "healthcare" program takes effect. Come on, people, WAKE UP!!! I mean.... *guffaw*...... *rolls eyes*..... Whore!! I'm not saying *you* are a whore, but certainly we can all agree that whores want free healthcare, therefore people who want free healthcare are whores! *Expression of poignant thought*
Don't forget, today is 11/13, the two month anniversary of 913!!!! Grassroots Tea Party forever!!