Medtronic criticised for lax response to hacking vulnerability

Medtronic Corporate Headquarters Campus (Dreamstime/TNS)

Medtronic is acknowledging that it took too long to analyse a cybersecurity problem that hackers say could allow a malicious attacker to compromise the system used to update the software on defibrillators implanted in patients' chests. 

The Minnesota-run medical device maker said the vulnerabilities in its CareLink 2090 programmers for implantable defibrillators worldwide don't create a safety risk for patients, but the company has stepped up internal integrity checks on its network and amplified its advice to keep the devices in a secure environment without access to the internet.