Politics & Government

Medtronic Hires Sleuths to Halt Device Hacks

The Fridley-based firm wants to secure its insulin pumps against cyber attack, Reuters reports.

Medtronic is getting outside help to make its insulin pumps secure against cyber attacks, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The software security firm McAfee said Friday that it had found a vulnerability in Medtronic devices that would allow another person within 300 feet to take control of a pump—raising the specter of a drive-by wireless attack on a high-profile victim, such as a politician or business CEO. 

Medtronic has hired a rival of McAfee, Symantec, to investigate, but is also consulting with McAfee.

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The Fridley-based medical technology company said U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations make it cumbersome to recall and repair vulnerable devices.

Venture Capitalists Fund Minnesota Political Muscle on FDA
In another med-tech industry news story that does not name Medtronic, the New York Times reported Wednesday on venture capitalists' financial backing for politicians working to loosen FDA regulations.

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Among the elected officials seeking to smooth the path for medical-device innovations to come to market are Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen (R) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL).


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