[FDA Warning] Crooks CONTROLLING your insulin pump?!
If you have diabetes and rely on an insulin pump, ensuring that it’s working properly is literally a matter of LIFE or DEATH.
And while that scenario is already a scary proposition…
I need you to pay close attention to what I’m about to share today.
That’s because the FDA is sounding the alarm on a disturbing trend happening with even the best working insulin pumps out there that could put your health and well-being at severe risk.
Here’s everything you need to know… and how you can take control before it’s too late.
It’s not a plot of a movie triller… or something ripped from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel.
Nope, this is happening in REAL LIFE.
The FDA recently issued a dire warning to patients who use a particular insulin pump system that unauthorized people could access it and change how much insulin a patient receives.
The pump in question is the Medtronic MiniMed 600 Series Insulin Pump System, including models such as MiniMed 630G and MiniMed 670G.
According to the alert, for a hacker to break in and literally control the pump… the risk is rare, but these steps would need to take place.
An unauthorized person nearby would need to gain access to a pump as it is pairing with other system components.
Nobody has reported this happening (yet) … but the risk is there.
So what do you need to do if you happen to use this insulin pump?
Medtronic recommended the following:
- Patients should turn off the “Remote Bolus” feature on their pump, which is turned on by default.
- In addition, Medtronic said patients should do any connection linking of devices in a non-public space.
- Disconnect the USB device from their computer when it is not being used to download pump data and should never confirm remote connection requests or other remote actions unless patients or care partners initiated them, the company added.
Unfortunately, this latest news is becoming a trend – but your best bet to avoid any issues is to stay up-to-date on your device software.
For more information on this warning, click here.
To your health and safety,
Sarah Reagan
Sources:
Medtronic. “URGENT MEDICAL DEVICE CORRECTION.” https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/customer-support/product-and-service-updates/notice19-letter
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Medtronic MiniMed 600 Series Insulin Pump System Potential Cybersecurity Risk.” https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/digital-health-center-excellence/cybersecurity
