Scientists design shield to prevent deadly pacemaker hijack

A 'cloaking' device that stops computer hackers maliciously hijacking pacemakers' radio signals could save lives, say scientists. Doctors are increasingly using wireless pacemakers to monitor the regulation of patients' heartbeats, and can even adjust the settings remotely.

But earlier this year a team of US scientists using a radio signal were able to simulate interference with the devices and claimed that, in theory, hijackers could shut them down or deliver potentially lethal electric shocks to millions of heart patients.

Now Dr Tamara Denning, a computer scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, has devised a cloaking device that is designed to resist any instructions that come from anyone other than the doctor. `