Two years ago, researchers discovered vulnerabilities in Medtronic’s MiniMed and MiniMed Paradigm insulin pump lines that could allow hackers to remotely withhold insulin or trigger a potentially lethal overdose.
But after months of negotiations with Medtronic and regulators with no fix forthcoming, the researchers decided to build a smartphone app that could show how the vulnerability could kill.
Billy Rios and Jonathan Butts discovered the vulnerabilities and raised awareness in August 2018, Wired reports. The two researchers, who work at security firm QED Security Solutions, publicized the issue at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas that year. With the presentation, the FDA, the Department of Homeland Security and Medtronic warned customers of the potential risks and vulnerabilities associated with the MiniMed pumps.
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