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Ask Professor Kevin Fu About Medical Device Security

Posted by samzenpus on from the protect-ya-neck dept.

Kevin Fu is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan. He heads a research group on medical-device security, Archimedes, that works to find vulnerabilities in medical equipment. WattsUpDoc, a system that can detect malware on medical devices by monitoring changes in power consumption, is based on his work. Professor Fu has agreed to put down the pacemakers for a moment and answer your questions about his work and medical device security in general. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.

6 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. Cochlear Implants by mcspoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How secure are Cochlear implants and their processors? Any chance I'm going to hear the voice of God (without the tooth implant, ala Real Genius?)

    1. Re:Cochlear Implants by girlintraining · · Score: 2, Funny

      How secure are Cochlear implants and their processors? Any chance I'm going to hear the voice of God (without the tooth implant, ala Real Genius?)

      That depends: Did you recently vote Republican?

      --
      #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
  2. PCA Pumps? by Digital+Ebola · · Score: 2

    Hello!

    Have you explored changing the dosages on drug pumps? Either through exploiting the device directly or by exploiting the database backend? I reference the Hospira pumps that run Linux, allowing one to telnet to them as root with no password authentication. Hospira did issue an update to that but since pumps are so numerous, I'm sure that many hospitals have been slow to update.

    Thanks!

    --
    "Network penetration is network engineering, in reverse."
  3. How have US budget issues affected your research? by JAS0NH0NG · · Score: 2

    How have recent issues like sequestration, reduced NSF and NIH funding, and the government shutdown impacted your research?

  4. What can I do if I have one? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

    Say I have an implant that could be hacked, what can I do to protect myself? Are any vendors more reputable than others when it comes to security? Is tinfoil effective? Should I demand my doctor replaces known vulnerable equipment?

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  5. Model, or island? by skids · · Score: 2

    Being a highly regulated industry, I could see the eventual evolution of a competent security culture in medical IT/manufacturing. We certainly don't have it quite together now, but if and when that comes to pass, do you see the lessons learned in that sector promulgating out to other industries, or will the environment of high regulation (and high stakes) produce too alien a solution set for general application?

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    Someone had to do it.