Topic: Scientist is first man to be 'infected' by computer virus
Page 1 of 1 sorted by
For maximum scope and convenience, Poui Bloom is divided into varied forums from how to deal with exam stress and pass exams to general discussion topics which may not be academic but are relevant nonetheless.
Our parent site Mediazoneja is focused on Jamaica/Caribbean music and has something for everyone. Wanna chat...we are on 24/7, for authentic reggae/dancehall and DJs...just tune in and for news and information about Jamaica and the Caribbean...we are updating minutely!!
Join the Zone and over 85,000 strong export the very best of reggae/dancehall to be found anywhere on the Net...
***Also, as you browse the PouiBloom, ...we invite you to check out these sites***
A British scientist has laid claim to being the first man to be infected by a computer virus, after he used a contaminated chip implanted in his hand to attack a lab security system.
Dr Mark Gasson
Dr Mark Gasson programmed the microchip, similar to those used to "tag" pets, to remotely open his lab's security doors and unlock his mobile phone before having it inserted under his skin.
But he also infected the implant with a virus, to prove it could be transferred as the chip and the security system wirelessly exchanged electronic data.
The virus could then have been passed on to other devices interacting with the control system, such as colleagues' swipe cards, in the same way viruses are able to spread across computer networks.
The results raise the possibility that in the future, increasingly advanced medical devices such as pacemakers and inner ear implants could become vulnerable to cyber attacks from other human implants.
Dr Gasson said: "Our research shows that implantable technology has developed to the point where implants are capable of communicating, storing and manipulating data.
"This means that, like mainstream computers, they can be infected by viruses and the technology will need to keep pace with this so that implants, including medical devices, can be safely used in the future.
He stressed it is not currently thought possible to exploit medical devices such as pacemakers because they have not been analysed for flaws, but said they could theoretically be vulnerable.
He said: "We do not know of any medical device that can be exploited in this way yet but we are very much on the cusp of it being possible.
"It is possible that you could create a virus that completely corrupts the device to the point where it does not work any more."
Implanted technology has become increasingly common in the United States, where medical alert bracelets can be scanned to bring up a patient's medical history.
Dr Gasson said the technology is likely to become more widely used in the future, even for non-medical purposes such as increasing someone's memory.
He said: Our next evolutionary step may well mean that we all become part machine as we look to enhance ourselves, either because it becomes as much of a social norm as say mobile phones, or because well be disadvantaged if we do not.
In a separate project by Reading University scientists in 2008, experts created a robot that used cells from the brain of a rat to make decisions, in order to help design treatments for diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The robot, known as an "animat", interpreted electrical signals from the cells to navigate itself around a laboratory without bumping into obstacles.
