10 scariest hacks from Black Hat and Defcon

Remotely shut down insulin pumps

Insulin pumps that diabetics rely on to keep their blood sugar in balance can be shut off remotely, a researcher demonstrated at Black Hat. Jerome Radcliffe, a diabetic himself, showed how he could pick off wireless signals used to control the pump, corrupt the instructions and send the altered commands to the machine. He could force the wrong amount of insulin to be pumped or shut the device off altogether, either of which could be fatal in the wrong circumstances. The problem, he says, is that the devices weren't designed with security in mind.