FDA Recalls Nearly Half a Million Pacemakers Over Hacking Fears
Sep 01, 2017
Almost half a million people in the United States are highly recommended to get their pacemakers updated, as they are vulnerable to hacking. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled 465,000 pacemakers after discovering security flaws that could allow hackers to reprogram the devices to run the batteries down or even modify the patient's heartbeat, potentially putting half a million patients lives at risk. A pacemaker is a small electrical battery-operated device that's surgically implanted in the chest of patients to help control their heartbeats. The device uses low-energy electrical pulses to stimulate the heart to beat at a normal rate. Six types of pacemakers, all manufactured by health-tech firm Abbott (formerly of St. Jude Medical) are affected by the recall, which includes the Accent, Anthem, Accent MRI, Accent ST, Assurity, and Allure. All the affected models are radio-frequency enabled cardiac devices—typically fitted to patients with irregular he...