WSJ reports: Hacking Is a Risk for Pacemakers. So Is the Fix Some doctors are wary of software patch that prevents unauthorized access to Internet-connected devices, worried about risk of malfunction. The story follows Abbot Laboratories’ release of a new software update that is supposed to reduce hacking risks to pacemakers, but which may carry its own risk of causing a pacemaker malfunction although firmware updates are conducted in a physician’s office or medical facility. Rubicon Labs, a leader in secure identity services for IoT devices in industrial, automotive, smart buildings, medical and payments sectors, offers perspective. Rod Schultz, Chief Product Officer at Rubicon Labs commented below.
Rod Schultz, Chief Product Officer at Rubicon Labs:
“The world of digital technology is built on 0s and 1s, unfortunately the software that is created from these binary values is not as easily categorized, especially from a risk perspective. Sometimes the story around a vulnerability is worse than the vulnerability itself, and with medical devices these stores are very powerful. The concern that doctors and patents have – that the solution may be worse than the problem – is always a possibility. Nothing will work correctly 100% of the time, but medical device manufactures are becoming more sophisticated with software updates, device failover, and device lifecycle management. These concepts have been refined over the past decade with smart phones and other mobile devices, and are being applied today to network connected things. Those techniques coupled with good software and hardware testing generally lead to highly reliable updates and functionality.”
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