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Scientists in measures to prevent crooks from misleading pacemakers

Cases of cyber crime that not only include financial motivation but malice as well are now forcing many unlikely sectors to adopt online security measures in a bid to counter possible attacks, it has emerged.

With remote access becoming a reality in medical devices such as pacemakers, researchers wary of hackers sending the implants misleading signals that can be fatal are designing a pace maker that can prevent this possibility.

According to the designers based in the University of Massachusetts, the secure device could detect rogue signals and notify patients of security breaches, reports EE Times.

Professor Kevin Fu of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the university said: "We know of no cases of hackers attacking medical implants.

"But with these devices becoming remotely accessible over the Internet, and with hackers performing malicious acts just to prove they can, we feel it is just a matter of time."

Some 600,000 pacemakers are currently in use in the US and the National Science Foundation has awarded the researchers a three-year grant to further develop the technology and perfect it.

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