In the latest Jimei drama "Homeland Security", the protagonist Brody Vice President of the pacemaker serial numbers tell the terrorists Nazir, led directly to the Vice President of pacemaker malfunction, kills. In this way, really possible? Patients are most close to the protection of God, it will not suddenly become a time bomb by remote control? In principle, this may not abstract artistic imagination.
Pacemaker: help the heart beat frequency Press
A pacemaker is a medical device used to treat heart disease. Rather, typically those used to treat patients suffering from a slow arrhythmia, such as sick sinus syndrome, atrioventricular block, atrial fibrillation with R-R interval length and the like. At the time of onset, the patient's heart rate suddenly slowed down, as reduced to about 30 beats per minute, which would be a serious threat to their lives. The role of pacemaker, simply put, is now in short trigger pulse several times to stimulate the myocardium, the heart beat driven in accordance with a preset frequency, so as to achieve the purpose of saving lives.
In 1932, American physiologist Albert Hyman • On the basis of previous studies, an electronic device installed in his own body, and connect a hand-cranked generator, which produced the first practical value pacemaker, "pacemaker" the name has since still in use. Of course, this device is clearly too cumbersome, only for hospitalized patients. In 1958, the American engineer Earl • Buck produced the first volume and weight are small, you can carry a cardiac pacemaker, and that makes pacemakers quickly widely.
The pacemaker is initially hung in vitro by sheet electrodes attached to the chest role; or implanted with fine needle electrodes under the skin, the battery case is connected by a wire vitro. This practice may leave a hidden danger for the future of the infection, subsequent research, focuses on extending battery life. Now science and technology, has been able to do so that pacemaker batteries work properly in more than 10 years after implantation surgery once the patient can continue to enjoy its protection for a long time.
With the advances in electronic technology, today's pacemakers are also more compact, more powerful. They can monitor the patient's heartbeat and documented, and even, to a doctor through the specific sensor data over a network; These data may be adjusted for the case of treatment options for physicians of different patients, and better personalized therapy; also will be based on the patient's heart rate in real time to select a preset mode of treatment, make sure that electrical stimulation effects. With its protection, arrhythmia patients had the courage to engage in outdoor activities during the day, sleep at night, without any time on tenterhooks when his sicken. In 1992--2002 year of this decade, the United States alone, more than 2.6 million units of pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators are implanted in the patient.
Hidden dangers
However, any advances in technology will bring new problems, heart pacemakers is no exception. Generally believed that high-intensity electromagnetic field, for patients wearing implantable cardiac pacemaker is unsafe. Great to have the MRI room, small home appliance, may interfere with the normal operation of the pacemaker to the patient's health at risk. These be easy to hide the gun, but with the development of radio frequency technology, another risk is also quietly hit, but it is stab difficult to prevent.
A closer look? Legend on the pacemaker, only the box of the round attached to a pacemaker, a pacemaker can only be manipulated by computer.
In May this year, in a report published by the US Department of Homeland Security, the University of Massachusetts, citing a study of the use of implantable cardiac defibrillators, pacemakers and other implanted therapeutic device proposed warning.
Research in this area in particular is worth mentioning that a "black hat" seminar held in Las Vegas in August 2011. At the meeting, from McAfee's security engineers • Jay Radcliffe via wireless devices and their laptops, the success of automatic remote control with a syringe pump 46 meters away. If a diabetic patient is wearing this injection pump, the operator can instruct it frequently, inject insulin into the body of the wearer large doses, because of his low blood sugar coma and even death.
In fact, this $ 6,000 worth injection pump belongs to Jay himself. As a diabetic, he had to wear a syringe pump up to 11 years, which makes him shudder. "You gained control over the device, equivalent to master control over your body chemistry." And by Professor William Messer • Harvard Medical School, who published the results in one, the ICD the safety was assessed.
They found a few meters away in the distance, you can control an ICD by a piece of equipment and software not authorized by the manufacturer. For example, they can be detected after a few meters from the outer whether a patient with the ICD device, it can read out the serial number, or even the patient to read its heartbeat data stored therein; more frightening is, but also to change instrument settings, discharge or stop the discharge command. If this is an implantable therapeutic device is in the patient's body of work, with predictable results, and even as covert assassination article mentioned at the beginning, is not impossible. The working principle of the pacemaker and ICD no essential difference, for I am afraid that these studies pacemaker is a huge warning.
ICD used in this study, and used between the external controller and the communication frequency 175kHz, the effect of the shorter distance; ICD, but new equipment, generally compatible with the implantable medical device communication and 402-405MHz frequency of 175kHz, the latter the newsletter will have a much longer distance. In this way, the patient's home sensors can easily be communicated with in a timely manner the data to the doctor, but also provides a more convenient conditions for the ulterior motives of the intruder. (But like the play did not really know directly from a remote computer where should also require a live connection to the Internet pacemaker)
There are offensive, there is defend
So, faced with such a terrible risk, it is not it will not be able to deal with it? The obvious answer is no, we can do the means of defense, but also a considerable number. First, the device low safety factor comes from a lack of safety awareness manufacturer. In fact, the above-mentioned device for testing, generally do not have any information security measures, even the most simple signal encryption and password questions and answers are not, just let hackers such as unhindered. And now the radio frequency technology, information is often encrypted transmission, implement security controls are not technically difficult. Thus, even if an intruder were successfully communicate with the IMD, the command signal it issues will be rejected because the system is not on the "sign", not acts recklessly.
RF alarm signal WISP-
Meanwhile, the device can be pre-cured to the IMD portion of the safety program, instructions for extreme rejected. For example, in the automatic insulin infusion pump, you can join a safety inspection instructions, a short time when the cumulative injection of insulin to a certain dose, or a single injection of the dose exceeds safe limits, it will automatically stop the injection, which allows hackers target difficult to achieve.
In fact, it increased security from the hardware level, but also a very good way. For example, a simple button switch, it can block the illegal read IMD data, tampering attempt IMD settings, economical and reliable.
In addition, you can also use some means of active defense. In the study, Professor Messer, they will try to manufacture a simple defense device: This device is called "wireless identification and sensing platform" is actually very shabby, but the effect is very good. Researchers wrapped in beef and experimental invasion by ICD near the beef before, the results of WISP successfully identified the successive RF communication signal and the alarm buzzer. If such a system is hung around the neck of patients with implanted pacemakers or pocket, when there is a radio frequency communication signal near the intentional or unintentional, it can remind patients in time to escape the relevant area, for those who ill people can not do anything.
By the Purdue University, Princeton University joint research team of research and development of defense equipment, it may be more complicated. This device is called MedMon ( "medical surveillance") can be analyzed for multi-level radio frequency signals around, if the judge is likely to endanger the IMD signal is present, it will be reported immediately. The WISP and, like, all can be described as drastic solution.
In addition, for those patients with heart conditions are not very, very poor, after the pacemaker attack, if timely rescue, and quickly disconnect the pacemaker damaged, temporary pacemaker, it should still have a very big chance for help. (So look at the play Brody to wait until the doctor called the president finished or necessary ......)
In fact, in the high-tech brings more convenient life, but also to criminals will always provide a new opportunity, which in itself is no surprise. And legislators, law enforcement and technology allies to do, is to use high-tech means to plug the loopholes and protect public safety. This not only have to improve the technical level, more dependent on increasing public safety awareness. Professor Wang Dawei borrow the words, "civil air defense, physical defense, have to add their guard."
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