Hacker attacks on medical devices coming
The Harvard Business Review reported in May, 2017 that researchers have already proven that defibrillators, pacemakers and insulin pumps can be hacked. As a test, they altered the devices’ computer settings; disabled therapies and even sent a potentially lethal shock command to a pacemaker-defibrillator. That same month, Fiercebiotech – a medical news website – warned that over the next year, “medical device manufacturers and more than half of healthcare delivery organizations say that a cyber attack on one or more of the medical devices built or in use…is ‘likely’ or ‘very likely.’”
Hackers have compromised hospital computers
Hospitals became prime targets of hackers in less than a year, demonstrating how fast hackers can invade industries they are targeting, according to a cybersecurity expert ABC News interviewed in June 2017. The network reported that hackers were able to shut down 65 hospitals in England and one in Los Angeles demanding payments to unlock their computers. The California hospital paid $17,000 to regain control of its computer network.
How is the FDA reacting?
The medical community is worried. Wireless medical devices are being prescribed every year for 300,000 patients in the U.S. The Hill reports the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working with other agencies on “how to respond” to hacker attacks. Meanwhile, FDA “guidance” says manufacturers are obligated to consider the cybersecurity of their devices.
Medical manufacturers have already issued warnings
Two medical device manufacturers recently had to warn patients their products could be hacked. During the fall of 2016, The Hill reported Johnson & Johnson informed patients that its insulin pumps had a “security vulnerability” that hackers could easily exploit “and cause a potentially fatal overdose of insulin.” In January 2017, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Safety Alert Communication warning patients that St. Jude Medical’s Implantable Cardiac devices required a newly available patch to protect the devices from hackers.
Personal Injury Lawyer Wyatt Wright represents victims of medical devices
Many types of medical devices have failed over the years, ranging from hip and knee implants to contraceptive devices. St. Louis attorney Wyatt Wright has years of experience representing victims who have been harmed by negligent companies that fail to ensure the safety and performance of their products.
He is one of America’s top trial lawyers. His numerous, national legal honors prove he gets results for those who have been injured by a corporation’s failures. His legal services are free if he does not win your case. Calls and evaluations are also free.