Johnson & Johnson has issued a warning to diabetes patients and their doctors that one of the company’s insulin pump systems is potentially vulnerable to cyberattacks.
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Johnson & Johnson has determined that its OneTouch Ping insulin pump system could be hacked by someone within about 25 feet of the device using sophisticated frequency scanning equipment. The hacker could potentially identify the specific radio frequency used by the system meter to communicate with the pump, and then reprogram the device to alter the delivery of insulin to a patient.
The Journal article notes that there have been no reported instances to date of actual hacking of medical devices, although there have been several cases in which medical devices have been found potentially vulnerable to cyberattack. However, earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued draft regulations related to medical device security from cyberattacks in an effort to thwart future effort.
An estimated 114,000 OneTouch Ping insulin pump systems have been sold by Johnson & Johnson in the U.S. and Canada.
Read the complete text of the Wall Street Journal article about Johnson & Johnson insulin pumps.
