[HLUG] Recall of half a million hackable pacemakers

[Julian Robbins]

Hi

Interesting story in this month's Linux Magazine now incorporating Linux
Voice and Ubuntu User (bit of magazine consolidation going on here).

The FDA is the US are to recall nearly half a million pacemakers that have
vulnerabilities that can be exploited including depleting the battery or
triggering 'fatal pacing'.

Sounds a bit 1984 to me.

Luckily a free update is available and no patients don't need to have their
pacemaker whipped out fortunately. The update is made wirelessly and only
takes a few minutes in clinics. It says during the update the device goes
into backup mode at around 67beats per minute which is enough to sustain
the life sustaining features.

I wouldn't like to be the poor bugger who suffers a dodgy firmware update
that we've all see on the odd occasion or a bricked device might ensue.
What a thought ....

Where does this all end .. ?

Julian