As if cybercrime wasn’t cancer enough, researchers have now discovered that hackers can give you cancer. Not literally, of course, but in a manner that is certainly emotionally malignant. A proof-of-concept malware has been developed that manipulates the technologies typically used in support of CT scans, and it shows that hackers can add cancer to the scans, even when they don’t exist in the body. Again, this scenario was cultivated in a lab, so no actual cancers were expanded, but the capability alone should take your breath away. Read more details in Security Week here.
This is not the first instance of healthcare hacking, and it is not likely to be the last. Those who would do us harm have historically sought the most vulnerable avenues in our societal fabric to ply their trade. Ironically, this discovery was made in Israel, where they know a thing or two about vulnerable targets, and schoolchildren are often escorted on field trips by teachers or rabbis wielding sharp eyes and assault rifles.
An Organization’s Soft Underbelly
Where are the most vulnerable targets in your workflow? Some might be digital and others might be very human. It’s easy to take for granted that your IT folks are on it, that they’re working the problems both real and imagined. But sometimes it might help to have a fresh set of eyes take a close look at that scan.
Call ICS. The doctor will see you now.
