Hacking Medical Devices for Fun and Insulin: Breaking the Human SCADA System

Theoretical research into the hacking of medical devices is nothing new but this talk by Jerome Radcliffe stands out because of the wide usage of the target — insulin pumps to treat diabetes.

Radcliffe, who wears an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor, said the devices can be considered a “Human SCADA system.”

After attending a DefCon presentation on hardware hacking of proprietary systems and wireless communication methods, Radcliffe said he was inspired to hack into the devices to see if the communication methods could be reverse engineered or whether a device can be created to perform injection attacks.

“Manipulation of a diabetic’s insulin, directly or indirectly, could result in significant health risks and even death,” he explained. In this talk, Radcliffe plans to explain his discoveries around the propriety protocols and the hardware interfacing.