The Invisible Threat to Some Medical Devices Could Be Deadly

Big brother is here and so are the dangers that come with such technological oversight. Just this month, the FDA was forced to recall all Medtronic insulin pump devices after learning of vulnerabilities to hackers in the device’s system. Medtronic, the manufacturer, says there is no way to resolve or patch the holes and all Medtronic insulin pumps should be recalled. This means that someone, other than the patient or health care provider, could determine the insulin levels pumped into the body, leading to potentially deadly consequences.

It is unnerving to know that a stranger may be able to hack your potentially life-saving medical device. Luckily, Medtronic is offering all 4,000 patients free replacements for a new yet similar device that does not include known hacking vulnerabilities. These insulin pumps utilize Bluetooth to connect to a computer, so the user can use a computer to send proper commands to the device.

Many medical professionals are intrigue by this idea of “Internet of Things” or (IoT). IoT is a movement towards connecting medical devices to the internet to increase patient communication and efficiency. After the recent recall by the FDA and Medtronic, many people fear this could be the future issue for all medical devices. In fact, legal scholars are contemplating cybersecurity threats to be the future of medical device or defective product lawsuits. Patients have the right to know the risks when it comes to the medical devices and prescription medication that they are using.

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