Medtronic formed a new partnership with Internet-of-Things cybersecurity startup Sternum to resolve vulnerabilities related to the company's pacemakers that could result in hacking attacks, according to an April 16 TechCrunch report.
In December, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned of vulnerabilities within Medtronic's MyCareLink Smart device, which monitors pacemaker activity and sends information to clinicians.
The issue was not with the medical devices but with the remote systems used to update the devices, according to the report. A hacker could exploit the vulnerabilities and modify or fabricate data from implanted cardiac devices uploaded to the CareLink network and remotely execute code on the device to control the connected pacemaker.
Sternum's technology allows medical devices to protect themselves in real time, and Medtronic has already secured about 100,000 of its devices, according to the report.