GostHacked Posted October 21, 2013 Report Posted October 21, 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24608435 Dick Cheney, the former US vice-president, has revealed that he had his heart implant modified for fear of terrorist attack. Mr Cheney's doctor disabled the heart defibrillator's wireless function in 2007 to prevent would-be assassins from interfering with it and causing a fatal heart attack. A similar scenario featured in an episode of the hit TV series Homeland. "I found it credible," Mr Cheney told CBS TV's 60 Minutes programme. "I know from the experience we had, and the necessity for adjusting my own device, that it was an accurate portrayal of what was possible,'' said Mr Cheney, who was President George W Bush's right-hand man during the "war on terror". I read another article on BBC with these devices and they are now available to the regular market. Cheney get in on the test phase? I would almost equate it to the Dune heart plug. http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/08/11/us-pacemaker-idUSTRE5790AK20090811 After relying on a pacemaker for 20 years, Carol Kasyjanski has become the first American recipient of a wireless pacemaker that allows her doctor to monitor her health from afar -- over the Internet. But anyone calling me paranoid for disabling my wifi at home might think again with one of the world's most controversial leaders being paranoid about his pace maker getting hacked. So now you have the admission it can happen. So is a wifi device in a pace maker a really good idea? Like anything wifi there is huge risks. Now I know people may not have a problem with their phone, or tv or computer ect being wifi. But how comfortable are you with a device in your heart that has a hackable wifi connection? I am not sure how this even works. How does it talk wifi back to the hospital through the Internet without having things hard coded for encryption? How does it monitor you out and about? The hospital would need to be secure as well, but a single hack could gather all that information and then you have more problems. Quote
Topaz Posted October 21, 2013 Report Posted October 21, 2013 I read the other day, Cheney is coming to Toronto to make a speech the end of October.\ and I wonder how many protestors will greet him. Quote
Guest American Woman Posted October 21, 2013 Report Posted October 21, 2013 (edited) I read the other day, Cheney is coming to Toronto to make a speech the end of October.\ and I wonder how many protestors will greet him. A lot, I'm sure. Edited October 21, 2013 by American Woman Quote
eyeball Posted October 22, 2013 Report Posted October 22, 2013 A lot I hope. Quote I said now watch what you say they'll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh fanatical criminal
Moonlight Graham Posted October 22, 2013 Report Posted October 22, 2013 Who the heck would want to hear that guy talk? Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
GostHacked Posted October 22, 2013 Author Report Posted October 22, 2013 Alright so my title was not great. More to the point that is it a good idea for these devices to be wifi?? Quote
guyser Posted October 22, 2013 Report Posted October 22, 2013 Alright so my title was not great. More to the point that is it a good idea for these devices to be wifi?? Not if your wife can get ahold of the code. Quote
Moonlight Graham Posted October 22, 2013 Report Posted October 22, 2013 More to the point that is it a good idea for these devices to be wifi?? Yes. If you want to change any setting etc. within the device or want to monitor how it's been working, you can do it remotely via wifi instead of surgically going into the body. I'm sure it's very handy. For famous people or VIP's in government etc. maybe there is more of a concern, but for a regular person, even in the rare instance someone wants to kill you I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of hacking your pacemaker to do it. Cheney said he had the wireless function in his device turned off. Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
eyeball Posted October 22, 2013 Report Posted October 22, 2013 So did they have to open him up to disable the function in his device or was this done remotely? If the latter, what's to stop a hacker from turning it back on and then snuffing him? Quote I said now watch what you say they'll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh fanatical criminal
Guest American Woman Posted October 22, 2013 Report Posted October 22, 2013 Who the heck would want to hear that guy talk? The Toronto Global Forum - a non-profit organization fostering dialogue on national and global issues. It is held under the auspices of the International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA). IEFA organizes annual summits bringing together heads of states, central bank governors, ministers and global economic decision makers. The Forum also offers exclusive opportunities for business meetings aimed at promoting partnerships among major Canadian and international corporations. The Forum caters to senior decision makers, business leaders and world leading experts. http://forum-americas.org/toronto Quote
Bonam Posted October 22, 2013 Report Posted October 22, 2013 Pretty sure these devices only transmit data out for monitoring purposes... there is no functionality in them to allow external control, modification, or interference. Quote
Moonlight Graham Posted October 23, 2013 Report Posted October 23, 2013 Pretty sure these devices only transmit data out for monitoring purposes... there is no functionality in them to allow external control, modification, or interference. What about a firmware update? Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 23, 2013 Report Posted October 23, 2013 VP Cheney had/has a Medtronic GEM III ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) that can communicate bi-directionally using a medical implant standard called MICS. Before that, an inductive coupling was used close to the skin for remote monitoring by phone line or firmware updates in an out patient office. These lifesaving wonders will be hit hard by the ACA (Obamacare) medical devices tax. http://www.medtronic.com/tachy2/icd/gemfamily.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Implant_Communication_Service Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
GostHacked Posted October 23, 2013 Author Report Posted October 23, 2013 Pretty sure these devices only transmit data out for monitoring purposes... there is no functionality in them to allow external control, modification, or interference. How do you turn the wifi off remotely with it only having a one way connection? Quote
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