Medical Devices Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks: FDAFriday, 14 Jun 2013
U.S authorities on Thursday warned makers of medical devices and
hospital networks to step up efforts to guard against potential
cyber attacks.
The Food and Drug Administration said implanted devices, which could
include pacemakers or defibrillators, could be connected to networks
that are vulnerable to hackers.
An FDA warning notice was sent to medical device manufacturers,
hospitals, medical device user facilities, health care technical
staff and biomedical engineers.
It said the agency has recently "become aware of cybersecurity
vulnerabilities and incidents that could directly impact medical
devices or hospital network operations."
"The FDA is recommending that medical device manufacturers and
health care facilities take steps to assure that appropriate
safeguards are in place to reduce the risk of failure due to
cyberattack," the warning said.
These devices or systems could be compromised "by the introduction
of malware into the medical equipment or unauthorized access to
configuration settings in medical devices and hospital networks,"
the FDA said.
"This may sound like it is out of a science fiction movie, but the
threat is conceivably a serious one," said Jon Ogg at 24/7 Wall
Street.
"Can you imagine a device being retooled maliciously, like an
inserted pacemaker/defibrillator? Or imagine if a robotic surgery
system was maliciously recalibrated in even a slight manner for
surgeries.
"The list of threats is endless."
The FDA said it was "not aware of any patient injuries or deaths associated with these incidents" nor does it have any specific information on targeted devices.
The FDA said it had been working with other federal agencies as well
as manufacturers, which it said are "responsible for remaining
vigilant about identifying risks and hazards associated with their
medical devices."
Among the measures that should be taken, the FDA said, are limiting
unauthorized device access, "particularly for those devices that are
life-sustaining or could be directly connected to hospital
networks."
© AFP/Relaxnews 2013 |