Curse

Inde · Nov 14, 2009, 02:50 PM // 14:50

This is a great and yet scary story. I had no idea this was even possible. I mean... the very thing that is keeping some people alive, a pacemaker, can be HACKED. That's insane. Kind of puts hackers into this whole new potentially life-threatening category.

http://science.slashdot.org/story/09...e-From-Hackers

"They showed how to glean personal information from such a device, how to drain its batteries remotely, and how to make it malfunction in dangerous ways. The two researchers stress that the threat is minimal now, but argue that it is vital to find ways to protect wireless medical devices before malicious users discover and exploit vulnerabilities."

Bets on how soon there is some sort of CSI episode on this?

Abedeus · Nov 14, 2009, 02:56 PM // 14:56

Wait, what?

So they could even threaten some celebrity's life if he or she is using a pacemaker? Holy crap.

Snograt · Nov 14, 2009, 03:13 PM // 15:13

Oh god, this guy had better watch his, er, back...

Black Metal · Nov 14, 2009, 06:28 PM // 18:28

yeah, that brings up some intriguing dramatic story lines, you could hold a powerful person virtually hostage by threatening them in this way. Like Dick Cheney.....in an episode of 24

Faer · Nov 14, 2009, 07:06 PM // 19:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inde

Bets on how soon there is some sort of CSI episode on this?

ALREADY IN THE WORKS.

Seriously.

JupiterStarWarrior · Nov 14, 2009, 07:30 PM // 19:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theocrat

ALREADY IN THE WORKS.

Seriously.

What is your source?

Eskimoz · Nov 15, 2009, 12:30 AM // 00:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by JupiterStarWarrior

What is your source?

Hollywood's general jackassery.
----------------
As for the pacemaker...not surprising, if it's connected to the Internet in any way at all it can be hacked.

Yes this does include your Iphone.

Lihinel · Nov 15, 2009, 01:12 AM // 01:12

Hacking electronic implants is a problem, that will grow, but it is a small one compared with whats comes our way.
Once Gene analysis cost efficency drops to the 10³-10²$/genome range, just wait another 5 years, and if Gene synthesis techniques keeps following in the same (current) pace, you can worry about "Hackers" creating real life viruses.

I'd love to see the anti vax crowd by then, cause without a rapid response system we'll be RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOed in no time.

Eskimoz · Nov 15, 2009, 02:41 AM // 02:41

Quote:

I'd love to see the anti vax crowd by then

Anti-vax?

You mean the "OMG the Government is putting microchips in us when we go to get vaccinated" tin foil hat wearing nut jobs?

Quote:

worry about "Hackers" creating real life viruses.

Balls.

Faer · Nov 15, 2009, 03:44 AM // 03:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by JupiterStarWarrior

What is your source?

I work for Universal Studios.

Master Fuhon · Nov 15, 2009, 05:22 PM // 17:22

Sure, they've proven that it's possible to deliberately harm people in this manner. But knowing that it's possible to harm deliberately is valuable information that can be used to prevent accidental harm. When it comes down to it, deliberate and non-deliberate harm will be experienced in the same way. Sometimes deliberateness comes from an inability to understand the complex language associated with the consequences of behavior.

The reality is that people who spend the most time and effort figuring everything out about how things fall apart are the ones who can only care most about those things. However, clear communication is necessary to prevent mistakes from being repeated and interpreted as deliberate.

Tyla · Nov 15, 2009, 06:48 PM // 18:48

"So er... what did you do last night?" "I killed some dude by hacking his f*ckin' pacemaker." *Silence*

Eskimoz · Nov 17, 2009, 01:25 AM // 01:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyla

"So er... what did you do last night?" "I killed some dude by hacking his f*ckin' pacemaker." *group laugh*

fixed that for yah

Zahr Dalsk · Nov 17, 2009, 05:08 AM // 05:08

Old news. Still entertaining though, thanks for reminding me.

zwei2stein · Nov 17, 2009, 04:46 PM // 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Fuhon

The reality is that people who spend the most time and effort figuring everything out about how things fall apart are the ones who can only care most about those things. However, clear communication is necessary to prevent mistakes from being repeated and interpreted as deliberate.

That is idealisitic view.

If anything, history of hacking had shown us that once there is money to be made, smart and uscrupulous people take over.

In personal computing, it is no longer about kid making virus to amuse himself or to pull prank on world, but rather organized effort to get personal details and rob user or to abuse computer resources i.e. to send spam. Hacked website will no longer be defaced, it will be used to distribute malware, etc, etc ...

Master Fuhon · Nov 17, 2009, 06:45 PM // 18:45

It's not always unscrupulous people who do those things, but it's sometimes people working within a societal structure based around money who use these as means to survive in a game of limited resources. In the past, we have created non-living structures that quickly become outdated and go on to compete with future peoples who are trying to create living structures of their own.

It is part idealistic when a person doesn't always blame people for such behaviors, and sometimes attribute better intentions to the way they act. But your analogy explains another non-living entity: 'personal computing'. Personal computing is an old definition as well that can be analyzed as 'intrapersonal computing' so that it does not come into conflict with interpersonal computing.

Divinitys Creature · Nov 18, 2009, 12:01 AM // 00:01

A new way to attempt suicide.