Hacking Continuous Glucose Monitors

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Recommended: Reflection on blood glucose monitoring

Hacking Continuous Glucose Monitors

Diabetes is a disease in which the body has a shortage of insulin, a decreased ability to use insulin, or both. People with this disease have to administer a synthetic insulin replacement into the body to regulate and stabilize their blood-sugar level. The traditional insulin delivery method is through injection by a needle and syringe. Determining when to introduce insulin into the body requires frequent blood tests (poking the finger). An alternative to this method uses a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) with a wireless sensor attached to a wire inserted into body tissue to measure electrical elements of fluids.

As a diabetic, Jerome Radcliffe, Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at IBM, admits to joking around about the possibility of some hacker breaking into his CGM. As a result of a hack, he envisioned that he would give himself an unwarranted extra dose of insulin, which could force his blood-sugar level too low and result and render him unconscious, leaving him in a coma or even dead. After attending Defcon in 2009, he began to ponder the possibility of such a joke. Consequently, he hacked his own CGM to show how vulnerable wireless medical devices are to cyber threats. He demonstrated the hack at Black Hat USA 2011.

According to Radcliffe, he first collected publicly available data on his Medtronic CGM, focusing on the wireless communication frequency and modulation method. The device’s user manual provided a starting point, and opening the device helped him obtain additional information, like the RF chip model number. Next, Radcliffe recognized US regulations require all wireless devices sold receive approval by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Upon approval, all devices r...

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...Belittles Security Flaw." Technology News, Tech Product Reviews, Research and Enterprise Analysis - News & Reviews - EWeek.com. EWeek, 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. .

"Section." Code of Federal Regulations. Federal Communications Commission, 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. .

Smith, Catherine. "Medtronic, Insulin Pump Maker, Identified By Hacker Jay Radcliffe." Huffinton Post. 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. .

"Statement Regarding Insulin Pump Hacking." Welcome to Medtronic, Inc. Medtronic, 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. .

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