Blog

Critical Flaw Found In Medical Device Pump Software

Jul 5, 2019 | Blog

Researchers have recently discovered a pair of critical vulnerabilities in Alaris Gateway Workstations. These bring us closer to the tragic day when a hacker will actually be able to kill someone with code. Alaris workstations are used to deliver fluid medications. Given the severity of the flaws, a determined hacker could take full control over the workstation itself and any medical devices connecting to it.

One of the two flaws in the firmware has been given the highest possible severity score (a perfect 10) because it can be exploited remotely and without authentication. Disturbingly, that would allow the hackers to gain control of infusion pumps and control them during dialysis, chemotherapy, blood transfusions or anesthesia. It could even change the dose or withhold medication or anesthesia altogether if the hackers chose to do that.

The vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2019-10959 and definitely bears watching if you’re involved in the health care field in any way. There is a rather significant catch that limits the danger posed by it.  Namely, the vulnerability is limited to a single BD infusion system that is not sold in the United States.

That’s not to say there’s not one in use somewhere in the country, but it would have arrived here by a curious road indeed.  It’s also worth mentioning that given the presence of this vulnerability, it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that other vulnerabilities will be discovered that do impact equipment marketed and sold in the US.

The company that makes the devices, Becton Dickinson, has been made aware of the issue. They are currently working on a fix and promise to have a functional patch available within the next sixty days.

Until a patch is issued, the researchers that discovered the flaw recommend taking the following steps:

  • Block the SMB protocol
  • Segregate their VLAN network
  • Ensure that only appropriate associates have access to the customer network.
FBI Program Tasked with Infrastructure Security Compromised

FBI Program Tasked with Infrastructure Security Compromised

The FBI program tasked with ensuring critical infrastructure security has been compromised by hackers, who now offer access to the program's data on the dark web. The breach was initially disclosed by Brian Krebs of Krebs on Security, who claims that the data was for...

Streamline Your Business with the Latest Smart Home Technology

Streamline Your Business with the Latest Smart Home Technology

Are you a business owner looking to get the most out of your Google smart home devices? If so, you're in luck! Google has enabled its Nest products and Android OS with the initial rollout of the Matter smart home standard. This means that businesses now have the...

Data Breach at Sequoia One Exposes Sensitive Customer Information

Data Breach at Sequoia One Exposes Sensitive Customer Information

What do you do when your most personal information has been compromised? This is likely the question that customers of Sequoia One asked themselves earlier this month as they were informed that the company had been hacked. Sequoia One specializes in the management of...

Cisco Reports Critical IP Phone Vulnerability

Cisco Reports Critical IP Phone Vulnerability

As a business owner, it's important to stay informed about potential vulnerabilities that could impact your organization. Recently, Cisco reported a critical vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-20968, affecting its IP Phone 7800 and 8800 Series. This new vulnerability...

Google Chrome Releases Two New Features

Google Chrome Releases Two New Features

Google Chrome is one of the more commonly used web browsers. Over the years, though, Chrome has gained a reputation for utilizing a large portion of a computer's memory. This can be a problem if you're running other resource-intensive tasks and don't want to slow...

Get a Free Consultation

 

Fill out the form below to receive a free consultation and learn how we can make your technology worry-free!

 

Contact Information

  • 39301 Badger Street, Suite 500
    Palm Desert, CA 9221
  • (760) 333-8523
  • info@icn.tech