Implantable medical device (IMD) are extremely vulnerable to hacking. These are devices like pacemakers, neurostimulators, and cochlear implants used to restore hearing. As these grew in popularity and complexity, it became essential to make their software updatable, either through a wired or wireless connection. Unfortunately, this also makes them vulnerable to tampering, especially since for years so many devices did not include encryption to secure them from unauthorized access.
The vast majority of hacking incidents over the past several decades have been possible only because of our increasingly connected world. So, as we put more and more of our devices, our information, and our lives online, they become not only appealing targets for hackers but more attainable as well. The more points of access and connection there are to a device, the greater the likelihood it will be improperly secured. In a highly connected world, every piece of information and every point of access has value. This is not necessarily because you yourself are so appealing to the hackers, but because your information or access may make it possible to infiltrate other, far more lucrative targets. But even if you are not the primary target, such dealings can still do great damage to your equipment, your finances, your reputation, and even your life.
Excerpted from Future Minds: The Rise of Intelligence from the Big Bang to the End of the Universe by Richard Yonck.
— source salon.com | Mar 14, 2020