The fear: hackers are after your pacemaker
By Barb Dybwad 
posted February 25th 2005 6:31AM
posted February 25th 2005 6:31AM
The developers of remote-from-home defibrillators are concerned that
every hacker's true calling is to intercept one of the remote relaying messages and reprogram grandpa's pacemaker. The
technology for these remotely-controllable implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) hasn't yet been approved by
the FDA, but if it is doctors will be able to periodically fine-tune the pacemakers right through the phone. With that
advance comes the concern that hackers will grow ever more bored with the more
traditional targets and shoot straight for the heart. We
suppose it's best to err on the side of caution, but we sincerely doubt we'll be seeing any pacemaker hacks turning up
on hackaday anytime soon.
It's absolutely revolting how easy it is for the general public to make the leap from Hacker to Homicidal.
Well, this will be a dream come true for those who are waiting for their parents to croak so they can cash in on some inheritance money. Too bad for me that my family has a long history of being dirt poor!
But I agree with the previous poster; it is revolting. But of course companies WANT the general public to think hackers are a bunch of crazy homicidal people.
Fishes,
narco.
gah! when does this fear culture stop, anyone with a pacemaker who worries about being hacked into give him/herself too much importance.
Wow the day has almost arived when people will actually have to jack in, in order to survive.
totally cool!!!
No script kiddie is going to try to kill anyone. Nor are any of the "security sites" going to publish papers instructing people on how to kill old people.
hackers may cause damage to computer systems ad steal money or just piss peopel off, but they're not going to start murdering people!