--- title: Hackers Could Tamper With Medical Devices, FDA Says description: Hackers could be going after medical devices next, the FDA says. canonical: https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-04T15:47:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:06:15.404Z article:section: Business og:title: Hackers Could Go After Medical Devices Next og:description: Hackers could break in via a hospital’s network, authorities warn. og:url: https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3cf634b06623d6e/69885dc70b72e305a26e5397/gettyimages-168653108.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Patient Receiveing Chemotherapy Treatment og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hackers Could Go After Medical Devices Next twitter:description: Hackers could break in via a hospital’s network, authorities warn. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3cf634b06623d6e/69885dc70b72e305a26e5397/gettyimages-168653108.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hackers Could Go After Medical Devices Next ## Video: How Real is the Threat of a Cyberattack? [Watch (HLS stream): How Real is the Threat of a Cyberattack?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/D5Y8Ll5v.m3u8) (2:33)  _Published 2015-07-07. The threat of a state-sponsored cyberattack on the U.S. is inevitable and can potentially destabilize the global system._ by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Aug 4, 2015 3:47 PM CUT  A nurse programs an infusion pump. A nurse programs an infusion pump.Richard Lautens—Toronto Star via Getty Images by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Aug 4, 2015 3:47 PM CUT Nothing, it seems, is safe from hackers — not Yahoo’s [ad network](http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/hackers-exploit-flash-vulnerability-in-yahoo-ads/ "undefined"), the [federal government](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/us/office-of-personnel-management-hackers-got-data-of-millions.html "undefined"), or even [electronic skateboards](http://www.wired.com/2015/08/hackers-can-seize-control-of-electric-skateboards-and-toss-riders-boosted-revo/ "undefined"). Another item to add to the list: medical devices. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Homeland Security have both issued [advisories](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fda-warns-security-flaw-hospira-201108412.html "undefined") warning hospitals not to use the Hospira infusion system Symbiq because of cyber vulnerabilities. No known attack has occurred, but by accessing a hospital’s network, hackers could theoretically fiddle with the intravenous infusion pump. “This could allow an unauthorized user to control the device and change the dosage the pump delivers, which could lead to over- or under-infusion of critical patient therapies,” the FDA wrote in a [statement](http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm456832.htm "undefined"). But it’s not just the Symbiq pump that has security problems. According to a WIRED [report](http://www.wired.com/2014/04/hospital-equipment-vulnerable/ "undefined") last year, security experts who studied on Midwestern medical facility chain over the course of two years found a host of security vulnerabilities. Just a few issues they founded included “Bluetooth-enabled defibrillators that can be manipulated to deliver random shocks to a patient’s heart or prevent a medically needed shock from occurring; X-rays that can be accessed by outsiders lurking on a hospital’s network; temperature settings on refrigerators storing blood and drugs that can be reset, causing spoilage; and digital medical records that can be altered to cause physicians to misdiagnose, prescribe the wrong drugs or administer unwarranted care.” The retirement of the Symbiq pump may only be the beginning of a landslide of recalls and added security features in the medical field. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/"},"headline":"Hackers Could Go After Medical Devices Next","datePublished":"2015-08-04T15:47:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:06:15.404Z","description":"They could break in via a hospital’s network, authorities warn","url":"https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/","keywords":["Tech","hackers","cybersecurity","Cyber attack","Hack","pubdesk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3cf634b06623d6e/69885dc70b72e305a26e5397/gettyimages-168653108.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Claire Groden / Fortune"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3cf634b06623d6e/69885dc70b72e305a26e5397/gettyimages-168653108.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Patient Receiveing Chemotherapy Treatment","caption":"Patient Receiveing Chemotherapy Treatment","creditText":"Richard Lautens—Toronto Star via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/","name":"Hackers Could Go After Medical Devices Next"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Real is the Threat of a Cyberattack?","description":"The threat of a state-sponsored cyberattack on the U.S. is inevitable and can potentially destabilize the global system.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/D5Y8Ll5v/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-07T15:52:27.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/D5Y8Ll5v.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/","duration":"PT2M33S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3983847/hackers-medical-devices/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```