Can Neuralink Be Hacked? Cybersecurity Experts Weigh-In - Medical Device Vulnerablities

Shidonna Raven
Sep 2
2 min read

February 7, 2024

Source: Compass

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Examples of Medical Device Vulnerabilities and Hacks

Real-world examples demonstrate the significant risks of hacking medical devices and implants. For instance, former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney had to disable the wireless feature of his defibrillator to prevent hacking attempts, as revealed in a 60 Minutes interview. A security researcher showed at a 2011 Black Hat conference how he could remotely disable his insulin pump. In 2016, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) reported a vulnerability in their insulin pumps that could lead to unauthorized access and potentially fatal insulin overdoses. The Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (DHS ICS-CERT) discovered in 2017 eight cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Smiths Medical’s Medfusion 4000 Wireless Syringe Infusion Pumps. The same year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled 465,000 devices from Abbott due to risks of unauthorized programming changes, including battery depletion. In 2019, the FDA recalled certain Medtronic MiniMed insulin pumps over vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to modify device settings. Also in 2019, a critical flaw in Medtronic heart defibrillators was identified, enabling attackers to manipulate radio communications to change device settings.

Furthermore, in 2021, Armis found nine critical vulnerabilities in pneumatic tube systems used in over 3,000 hospitals worldwide, including most North American hospitals. These vulnerabilities, known as PwnedPiper, could enable attacks like taking over the Translogic PTS stations or launching ransomware attacks.

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How can such practices impact your health? How Why?