Nearly a half million pacemakers could get hacked

The FDA is recalling 465,000 pacemakers (y'know, the things that go in your chest to keep your heart beating) because they need a software update to protect from hacking.
An implanted pacemaker seen on an x-ray.
Getty Images
Sometimes life imitates art. In this case, a storyline from a hit spy show is leaping off the screen and could potentially turn deadly.
The FDA sent notice Tuesday that nearly half a million pacemakers from the health company Abbott (formerly St. Jude Medical) are vulnerable to being hacked and need a software update to protect them. These devices are typically implanted under the skin in the chest area, with wires that go into the heart to help keep it pumping at a healthy rate.
If this is sounding a little familiar, that might be because it was a plot line in Homeland, the spy show from Showtime (which, like CNET, is owned by CBS). In the aptly named episode "Broken Hearts," terrorists plot to use wireless communications to hack into the show-vice president's pacemaker and, well, you can guess the rest. People at the time may have scoffed at the premise, but former real-Vice President Dick Cheney said in 2013 that the threat was real enough that an assessment of his own heart device had been made.
Fortunately, the update for the Abbott pacemakers can be done in about three minutes, according to a handout.
The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether any pacemakers have been hacked so far. Though its notice does note that increasing use of wireless technology in medical devices potentially leaves us at risk, it "can also often offer safer, more efficient, convenient, and timely health care delivery."
The devices affected include the Accent, Anthem, Accent MRI, Accent ST, Assurity and Allure.

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