Johnson & Johnson late last month warned diabetes patients and doctors that its OneTouch Ping insulin meter and pump system is vulnerable to cyber hacking, according to Jonathan D. Rockoff in The Wall Street Journal. A hacker in close proximity (up to 25 feet) could intercept the system’s unencrypted radio signal.
Rockoff quotes Brian Levy, chief medical officer of Johnson & Johnson’s diabetes-care business, as saying, “The risk to patients is extremely, extremely low. The more important thing is people use their meters and pumps because this is an important part of their health care.”
The warning, Rockoff reports, “…is the latest indication of the susceptibility of medical devices to computer hacking, a mounting worry as they are increasingly connected to the internet, hospital computer networks, and…other medical devices.”
He continues, “So far, the fears haven’t been realized. No instances of medical-device hacking have been disclosed, consultants and industry officials say, though firms that advise companies how to reduce their risks of cyberattacks have found and publicized vulnerabilities.”
Nevertheless, he notes, regulators and companies are trying to upgrade security. “This year, the Food and Drug Administration issued draft rules for identifying and addressing weaknesses,” he adds.
