Wireless hack = heart attack

Worried that your notebook is vulnerable to wireless hackers? Did you feel like you were having a heart attack when you realized that hackers had gained access to your gmail account? At least it was just a feeling, and not the real thing. But not for long: according to the New York Times, A Heart Device Is Found Vulnerable to Hacker Attacks. The researchers "were able to reprogram it to shut down and to deliver jolts of electricity that would potentially be fatal — if the device had been in a person" -- people like Vice President Dick Cheney, who is one of the most notable users of the Medtronics device. Fortunately, you don't need a Secret Service detail equipped with WiFi jammers and automatic weapons to protect you from this threat. "The experiment required more than $30,000 worth of lab equipment and a sustained effort by a team of specialists" and the equipment used for the hack had to be within two inches of the pacemaker -- basically, you'd have to press it against the victim's chest to be within range. If you got that close, more traditional methods of interrupting the victim's heartbeat might be utilized. This is, however, a perfect example of how:

1. Wireless transmission capabilities, with connections to the Internet, are appearing in all kinds of devices, and not just your laptop/cell phone/PDA.
2. No one is thinking about securing these devices.

Let's hope that manufactures start securing these devices, especially the ones that are attached directly to vital organs.