Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney claims in a new interview that he had the defibrillator implanted in his chest altered to prevent hackers from wirelessly accessing the device.
Cheney revealed the extraordinary steps he took to protect himself in an interview with
Although most of the interview appears to focus on how Cheney’s health affected his decision-making abilities while in office, the highlight of the preview video comes when his doctor discusses the unique security threat to Cheney’s implant at the time.
Prior to the implant’s alteration, there was the possibility that terrorists could send a signal to the device, instructing it to shock his heart and induce cardiac arrest.
The previously little-known threat hints at possible security issues in the future, involving rapidly emerging biotech implants like Cheney’s, as well as assistive devices such as electronically controlled prosthetics.
Fans of Showtime television drama Homeland will likely recognize the seemingly far-fetched scheme from its first season in which the fictional terrorist plot was played out to completion. And while some may have assumed the show’s plot was merely an outlandish scenario dreamed up by a Hollywood writer, it turns out that Cheney was, in fact, very concerned about just such an attack.
When asked about the television episode, Cheney said, “I was aware of the danger that existed, but I found [the television episode] credible because I knew from the experience that we’d had the necessity for adjusting my own device … It was an accurate portrayal of what was possible.”
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