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DEFIBRILLATORS THAT THEY HAD TO
TELL THE GOVERNMENT IMMEDIATELY.
A CYBER SECURITY FIRM HAS FOUND
MAJOR VULNERABILITIES THAT WOULD
ALLOW HACKERS ACCESS TO
PACEMAKERS, ANESTHESIA DEVICES,
MONITORING STATIONS AND OTHER
LIFE-SUSTAINING MEDICAL
EQUIPMENT, A THREAT SO REAL, THE
FDA IS TAKING ACTION.
IT'S THE STORY LINE IN A
HARROWING SCENE IN THE SHOWTIME
SERIES "HOMELAND."
TERRORISTS SEND A SIGNAL TO A
PACEMAKER, AN ATTEMPT TO TAKE
DOWN AMERICA'S VICE PRESIDENT.
>> CALL THE DOCTOR.
>> Reporter: BUT IT'S NOT JUST
THE STUFF OF FUNCTION.
STEWART McCLURE OF THE FIRM
SCILANCE SHOWS ANOTHER DEVICE,
AN INSULIN PUMP THAT COULD
EASILY BE COMPROMISED.
>> ALL YOU NEED IS A SIMPLE
LITTLE ANTENNA, THAT YOU PLUG
INTO YOUR LAPTOP AND YOU DEVELOP
A LITTLE PROGRAM TO CONNECT TO
THIS WIRELESSLY OVER RADIO, AND
THEN YOU CAN TAKE OVER THE
ACTUAL SYSTEM ITSELF, INCREASE
THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF INSULIN
THAT CAN BE DISPENSED AND THEN
DISPENSE THAT PARTICULAR INSULIN
TO THE PATIENT.
AND THAT'S HOW DANGEROUS THIS
STUFF CAN BE AND HOW VERY, VERY
REAL WORLD IT IS.
>> Reporter: McCLURE ONCE
DEMONSTRATED THE TECHNIQUE ON AN
INDUSTRIAL PUMP,
OVERPRESSURIZING IT REMOTELY.
THIS IS A WIRELESS DEFIBRILLATOR
AND McCLURE SAYS WIRELESS
DEVICES CAN ALSO BE HACKED.
McCLURE AND HIS TEAM HAVE JUST
TOLD THE FDA WHAT THEY HAVE DONE
AND THE FDA HAS JUST PUT OUT THE
WORD TO MANUFACTURERS -- TIGHTEN
THE SAFETY STANDARDS OF ALL OF
THESE GADGETS, FROM FETAL
MONITORS TO DEFIBRILLATORS LIKE
THIS ONE.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR ANTIVIRUS
SOFTWARE AND FIREWALLS ARE UP TO
DATE.
USE BIOMETRICS AND SOPHISTICATED
SMART CARDS.
MAKE THOSE PASSWORDS TOUGHER TO
FIGURE OUT.
THE FDA SAYS, SO FAR, IT'S NOT
AWARE OF ANY PATIENT INJURIES OR
DEATHS FROM THE HACKING OF
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, BUT McCLURE
SAYS ALMOST EVERYTHING'S WIDE
OPEN.
PACEMAKERS AND OTHER CARDIAC
EQUIPMENT WESTBOUND SLOWED OR
DISABLED.
MONITORS COULD SHUT OFF.
AT BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL
CENTER IN BOSTON A FEW YEARS
AGO, A GLITCH, NOT A HACK,
SLOWED DOWN FETAL MONITORS FOR
WOMEN WITH HIGH-RISK
PREGNANCIES.
THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS FOR THESE
DEVICES ARE INTERCONNECTED, WIDE
OPEN, AND WIDESPREAD.
>> ON AN AVERAGE DAY, BETH
ISRAEL DEACONESS HAS 15,000
DEVICES CONNECTED TO ITS
NETWORK, THINGS YOU WOULDN'T
NORMALLY THINK OF AS BEING
CONNECTED TO A NETWORK, LIKE A
MONITOR OR AN IV PUMP TODAY ARE
SMART.
>> DR. JOHN HALAMKA SAYS HIS
HOSPITAL DOES FIREWALL OFF ITS
SYSTEM TO PREVENT HACKING.
BUT EVEN WITH THE FDA TIGHTENING
UP ON MANUFACTURERS, EXPERTS SAY
IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG TIME
BEFORE THOSE MANUFACTURERS
REALLY GET SAFER DEVICES IN
PLACE.
THE MANUFACTURERS MAY FIGHT IT