In 2008, Popular Science magazine revealed that a team of researchers from the universities of Washington and Massachusetts had managed to hack into a pacemaker and remotely manipulate some of its functions. In theory, this way it would be possible to stop or accelerate it to the death of its wearer . And no, it is not an exclusive science fiction matter. Former US Vice President Dick Cheney ordered to disable the Wi-Fi connection of his pacemaker – a technology that allows doctors to detect possible problems on the spot – to prevent such situations.
What's more, in 2012, Barnaby Jack, a New Zealand programmer, showed that he could remotely activate all such devices within a ten-meter radius and cause them to emit a lethal electric shock . Some computer security experts warn of another possible attack mode: accessing medical files that indicate the treatment to be followed by a patient admitted to a hospital and changing the doses of drugs or medications prescribed by others that negatively affect patients your health.
Even our own car could kill us in a similar way. In 2010, a group of engineers specialized in road safety managed to access a car's navigation system through its internet connection. Among other things, they were able to get the engine to rev up and disable its brakes .
Image: Colin via Wikimedia / CC
