FDA Should Shield Medical Devices from Hacking Threat

10/16/2012 2:00 PM EST

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to do more to protect patients with wireless medical devices from the threat of cyber attack, say three senior House Democrats.

Citing a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said that wireless medical devices were vulnerable to advanced hacking techniques that could put the life of patients at risk, reported Nextgov.

Markey is one of three lawmakers who asked the GAO to look into the security issues that threaten implantable wireless medical devices. The others were Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.).

Markey said in a statement that patients must be informed about the security risk of the medical devices implanted in their bodies so they can protect themselves.

The GAO report found the FDA has not considered information security risks resulting from intentional hacking threats and that both the agency and medical device manufacturers have been slow to respond to this emerging issue. The report calls on the FDA to enhance its review and surveillance of implantable wireless medical devices to factor in hacking and information security.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe product, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer may be able to help you.