Securing wireless bioelectronic implants from hackers
Smart bioelectronic implants promise to revolutionize health care, giving doctors remote access to monitor and adjust treatments. But as these devices become more advanced, they also become more vulnerable
Rice University reports:
Advanced wireless implantable technology could enable doctors to monitor patients’ health and adjust treatment remotely, making the need for on-site testing and treatment obsolete. But Kaiyuan Yang, who runs the Secure and Intelligent Micro-Systems (SIMS) Lab, warns that with this potential comes a serious risk: Hackers could intercept communications, steal passwords or send fake commands, threatening patient safety.
In recent work presented at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) ⎯ the flagship conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ⎯ Yang and his team unveiled a first-of-its-kind authentication protocol for wireless, battery-free, ultraminiaturized implants that ensures these devices remain protected while still allowing emergency access.
Known as magnetoelectric datagram transport layer security, or ME-DTLS, the protocol exploits a quirk of wireless power transfer, a technology that allows medical implants to be powered externally without a battery. Normally when the external power source ⎯ or in this case the external hub worn by the patient ⎯ moves slightly out of alignment, the amount of power the implant receives fluctuates … more
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