Researchers in the US have identified a new security risk in the sensors of implantable medical devices such as defibrillators and pacemakers.
In experiments using simulated human models, the team found that they could forge an erratic heartbeat with radio frequency electromagnetic waves.
Theoretically, a false signal could inhibit needed pacing or cause unnecessary defibrillation shocks.
Beyond medical devices, the team also discovered vulnerabilities in analogue sensors used in microphones in Bluetooth headsets and computers used in web based phone calls.
"We found that these analogue devices generally trust what they receive from their sensors, and that path is weak and could be exploited," said University of Michigan researcher Denis Foo Kune.
One solution, according to Kune, would be to create software that identifies whether or not the signals being received are authentic.
The researchers emphasise that they know of no case where a hacker has corrupted an implanted cardiac device, and doing so in the real world would be extremely difficult.
