Doctors Warn Of The Dangers Of Computer Viruses For Implantable Devices

Doctors Warn Of The Dangers Of Computer Viruses For Implantable Devices.
Implantable devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators and cochlear implants, are beautifying unguarded to "infection" with computer viruses, a researcher in England warns. To uphold his point, Mark Gasson, a scientist at the University of Reading's School of Systems Engineering, allowed himself to become "Exhibit A".

Gasson said he became the at the outset woman in the world to be infected with a computer virus after he "contaminated" a high-end boom box frequency identification (RFID) computer chip - the kind often used as a security title in stores to prevent theft - which he had implanted into his left hand. The point was to compose attention to the risks involved with the use of increasingly sophisticated implantable medical device technology.

And "Our scrutinization shows that implantable technology has developed to the point where implants are capable of communicating, storing and manipulating data," he said in a university bulletin release. "They are essentially mini computers. This means that, as if mainstream computers, they can be infected by viruses and the technology will need to sustenance pace with this so that implants, including medical devices, can be safely used in the future".