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I wasn't sure whether to post this here or under Horror Stories ...
Security researcher Jay Radcliffe is a diabetic who is connected to an insulin pump and glucose monitor at all times. He said that combination of devices turned him into a Human SCADA system. Radcliffe decided to find out if proprietary wireless communication could be reverse-engineered and a device used to launch an injection attack that would manipulate a diabetic's insulin and possibly cause a patient's death. [ ... ] After conducting his research, Radcliffe told the Associated Press, "My initial reaction was that this was really cool from a technical perspective. The second reaction was one of maybe sheer terror, to know that there's no security around the devices which are a very active part of keeping me alive."According to Radcliffe, an attacker could intercept wireless signals and then broadcast a stronger signal to change the blood-sugar level readout on an insulin pump so that the person wearing the pump would adjust their insulin dosage. ... Radcliffe suggested scenarios where an attacker could be within a couple hundred feet of a victim, like being on the same airplane or on the same hospital floor, and then launch a wireless attack against the medical device. He added that with a powerful enough antenna, the malicious party could launch an attack from up to a half mile away.
On one level, this makes my hair stand on end. On another level, I think would make the most awesome spy novel in the history of the crime genre. Steig Larsson, we need you!! Only Lisabeth Salander can save the day ...
Security researcher Jay Radcliffe is a diabetic who is connected to an insulin pump and glucose monitor at all times. He said that combination of devices turned him into a Human SCADA system. Radcliffe decided to find out if proprietary wireless communication could be reverse-engineered and a device used to launch an injection attack that would manipulate a diabetic's insulin and possibly cause a patient's death. [ ... ] After conducting his research, Radcliffe told the Associated Press, "My initial reaction was that this was really cool from a technical perspective. The second reaction was one of maybe sheer terror, to know that there's no security around the devices which are a very active part of keeping me alive."According to Radcliffe, an attacker could intercept wireless signals and then broadcast a stronger signal to change the blood-sugar level readout on an insulin pump so that the person wearing the pump would adjust their insulin dosage. ... Radcliffe suggested scenarios where an attacker could be within a couple hundred feet of a victim, like being on the same airplane or on the same hospital floor, and then launch a wireless attack against the medical device. He added that with a powerful enough antenna, the malicious party could launch an attack from up to a half mile away.
On one level, this makes my hair stand on end. On another level, I think would make the most awesome spy novel in the history of the crime genre. Steig Larsson, we need you!! Only Lisabeth Salander can save the day ...
