Smartwatch Hack Could Trick Patients To 'Take Pills' With Spoofed Alerts (techcrunch.com) 21
Security researchers say a smartwatch, popular with the elderly and dementia patients, could have been tricked into letting an attacker easily take control of the device. From a report: These watches are designed to help patients to easily call their carers and for carers to track the location of their patients. They come with their own cellular connection, so that they work anywhere. But researchers at U.K.-based security firm Pen Test Partners found that they could trick the smartwatch into sending fake "take pills" reminders to patients as often as they want, they said. "A dementia sufferer is unlikely to remember that they had already taken their medication," wrote Vangelis Stykas in a blog post. "An overdose could easily result." The vulnerabilities were found in the back-end cloud system, known as SETracker, which powers the smartwatch.
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or is it confined to one make/type? Is this cruical bit of info not worthy of mention in the summary?
Per TFA:
Would've been nice if the submitter/editors included the next sentence that indicates it's a backend for millions of other smartwatches and vehicle trackers...
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Shenzhen, Switzerland of course.
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Shenzhen should stick to hardware.
The technology balance. (Score:2)
The problem with technology today is it progressing at a very fast rate, however it is maturing at a slower pace.
Most tech companies want to get the product out the door as fast as possible. If they don't then their competitor will beat them to it, and all their extra time they put into making the product more stable is loss.
This is happening with healthcare technology today. We are trying to push new methods to keep patents involved and connected to their doctors. However the cost is really high for a se
Or you could just you know, use a non smartwatch (Score:2)
So many cheap/dumb watches that look so much better. Or you could buy a Rolex or something.
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Which model of Rolex allows a patient to call his carer, or a carer to track his patients location? Which model reminds them when to take meds? Did you even read the summary?
Re:Or you could just you know, use a non smartwatc (Score:4, Informative)
I'm used to people not reading the article but you didn't even read the fucking headline. This is a purpose-built device to give reminder and communication tools to people with dementia. If they can't remember whether or not they've taken their pills, how the fuck are they going to remember to set the alarm on their watch? Or why they set it? You really think elderly patients with dementia are really just rearing to be early adopters the latest technology? Lord. The stupid, glib, useless comments you read on this website.
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I'm struggling to see anything but a tertiary relevance to your dubious point.
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Wow, that's crazy... the brain human brain is such an incredible machine that we're so frustratingly bad at troubleshooting. I'm glad you've got some solid coping mechanisms in place. Cheers.
Yo grandma it's time to take your pill (Score:2)
Yo grandma it's time to take your pill
Re: Yo grandma it's time to take your pill (Score:2)
Or, to make him feel "hip"
Take the red pill, Gramps
as an all-around medicine reminder.
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Dearest Beatrice,
Even in bed my ideas yearn towards you, my Immortal Beloved, here and there joyfully, then again sadly, awaiting from Fate, whether it will listen to us. I can only live, either altogether with you or not at all. Yes, I have determined to wander about for so long far away, until I can fly into your arms and call myself quite at home with you, can send my soul enveloped by yours into the realm of spirits — yes, I regret, it must be. You will get over it all the more as you know my fait
Why does this even exist (Score:2)
An Apple Watch would have no such attack vector, and it provides other useful features like fall detection.
As a society we are WELL past the time where it is morally acceptable to let people buy or use connected electronic devices from companies that do not take security and privacy seriously, especially for the elderly that are especially vulnerable...
I don't think this exists (Score:4, Insightful)
I've been around a number of nursing homes and lot of elderly patients with and without dementia the last few years as my Dad has gotten older. I haven't seen a single smartwatch on a patient.
One of the basic functions of a residential facility is to manage medications and keep them locked up. The nurses aids are the ones giving people medicine and keeping them on schedule.
We actually tried one of those timed medication safes with my Dad before we had to move him. He beat it to pieces with a hammer (it was plastic) to get to all the drugs inside. If your loved one can't handle taking medications themselves they need assistance from a person, not a smartwatch.
- Necron69
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Residential facilities are better for this, but more expensive. There are pressures to drive down costs all across the board for this kind of care. Ultimately, it's going to come down to trying to keep more people out of them for better or worse (mostly worse).