Almost every cyberattack has the same goal \u2014 stealing someone\u2019s money.<\/b>\u00a0However, as a vast variety of equipment is getting connected, a buggy device can lead to more serious consequences than money loss. What about human health and life?<\/p>\n
Take\u00a0connected cars<\/a>, a perfect example of how a device can pose a great risk to life and limb. A malicious party taking control over a self-driving car can easily lead to an accident. Smart medical equipment is also at risk. Devices designed to keep us healthy can be also used to do the opposite.<\/p>\n To date, we know of zero documented cases of compromised medical equipment directly harming human health. However, experts regularly find new vulnerabilities in medical devices, including bugs that could be used to cause serious physical harm.<\/p>\n Because stealing money and harming people physically are disparate actions, one might hope that hackers will refrain from taking such steps for ethical reasons. But it\u2019s more likely criminals haven\u2019t turned to hacking medical devices simply because they don\u2019t (yet) know how to gain easy profit from such attacks.<\/p>\n Actually, cybercriminals have repeatedly attacked hospitals with Trojans and other widespread malware. For example, in the beginning of this year, a number of ransomware infections hit medical centers in the United States,\u00a0including<\/a>\u00a0Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Hospital pays ransom, does not get files back\u2026 Remember, don't pay https:\/\/t.co\/8yLC4w5yMr<\/a> #ransomware<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/nT9MT4d6nB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) May 26, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n