Pump Users

I don't want to spread alarm, but a fellow diabetic sent me this:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/27/fatal_insulin_pump_attack/

Very real risks, but why would someone do it...........

Who knows? Same reason as someone putting insulin in a hospital patient's saline drips, I suppose.

The man who created this device works for the IT security firm Macafee and had no intention of using it. I suppose it's a good thing that he has flagged this up, before some nutter gets hold of one. Let's hope Medtronic can fix this potential problem quickly.

I wouldn't worry too much, the end of the article says he wrote software for Meditronic so he was party to information on exactly how the devices communicate. This is not your 'average' hacker. It is also highly unlikely someone would spend the amount of time necessary to hack into the devices and reprogram them. There is no financial gain to be had from doing it which is the biggest reason by far for hacking. Its not comparible with sabotaging a saline drip that requires no great effort just access.
Unfortunately there are always 'proof of concepts' like this being reported and the press often distort what is being said into a more 'interesting' story. Whilst there is ALWAYS a risk with any wireless device, you have to weigh up the benefits and the risks. The benefits are potentially high and the risks are very low.