An Ultrasound Encryption Scheme Makes Artificial Organs Hack-Proof
Implantable medical devices have improved the quality of life for many with conditions like arrhythmia or chronic heart failure, but an increased reliance on electronics to keep our bodies ticking comes with inherent security risks; as more and more devices rely on wireless capabilities to communicate vital data to doctors, the possibility that devices could come under attack from third parties is harrowing at best. Think about it: Would you want someone launching the equivalent of a denial-of-service attack on the device that keeps your heart beating properly? In an effort to ensure control of implantable devices remains in the proper hands, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control are developing a security scheme based on ultrasound that determines the exact distance between a medical device and the device attempting to access it. Under the scheme, devices will...