Friday 22 March 2019

Implanted Medical Devices Can Be Hacked Wirelessly, Warns U.S. Gov’t


Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) made by Medtronic are insecure, says the Department of Homeland Security’s CISA team. Exploitation is trivial, possible outcomes include the death of the patient.

And wouldn’t you know it, Medtronic knew about the problem for more than a year. Basically, wireless commands can completely reprogram the devices; there’s no authentication and no encryption.

“Are you serious?” you ask. In today’s SB Blogwatch, we’re as serious as a heart attack.


Read more: securityboulevard.com/2019/03/implanted-medical-devices-can-be-hacked-wirelessly-warns-u-s-govt

Thursday 21 March 2019

Did Uber Use Spyware on Rival Taxi Firm? Yes (and No)


“Ride sharing” company stands accused of using spyware to damage a competitor’s business: An Australian taxi startup says Uber poached its drivers by spying on their movements.

Uber blames one rogue employee. But some commentators allege it’s not the first time the company’s used dirty tricks to boost its business. For example, there was that time Uber was banned from operating anywhere in London, England.

So what really happened here? In today’s SB Blogwatch, we make educated guesses.


Read more: securityboulevard.com/2019/03/did-uber-spyware-on-rival-taxi-firm-yes-and-no

The diagnosis for US electronic health records: Fatally flawed


EHR is badly broken. That’s the conclusion of a too-long report into electronic health records in the US.

It’s dangerous, buggy, expensive, over-complicated, and encourages fraud. And that’s even before we start to think of the likely security issues.

Stop. You’re killing me. In this week’s Security Blogwatch, we smell no evil.


Read more: techbeacon.com/security/diagnosis-us-electronic-health-records-fatally-flawed

Tuesday 19 March 2019

Ransomware Fighter Lives in Fear for his Life



This hacker hacks the hackers. He reverse-engineers ransomware so that victims can decrypt their files without paying money to criminals.

But the polar bear-loving Fabian Wosar lives in hiding at an undisclosed location. It’s all thanks to the threats and abuse he receives from ransomware gangs, which he describes as “the Russian mob.”

Scary stuff. In today’s SB Blogwatch, we peek behind the curtain and marvel.


Read more: securityboulevard.com/2019/03/ransomware-fighter-lives-in-fear-for-his-life