
An alarming new report indicates that someone could hack into your insulin pump.
One of the biggest medical device manufacturers in the country is warning consumers that its insulin pump could get hacked. Johnson & Johnson brand Animas warned in a statement recently that its OneTouch Ping Insulin Infusion Pump was vulnerable to hackers.
While the company noted that the danger to patients is very low, it added the consumers should be aware that the computer security flaw exists. The flaw was discovered by Rapid 7, a computer security firm, and it would apparently allow someone to take control of the pump via the unencrypted radio frequency communication system it uses. That poses a threat to users, as a pump that administers too high or too low a dose of insulin could result in severe sickness or even death.
So far, there are no reports of these pumps getting hacked. The pumps are worn ont he body and deliver insulin via a catheter. They are mostly used by people with Type 1 diabetes, which is the least common form of diabetes.
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