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Human infected with computer virus

New research points to the ability of a chip implanted in a human body to infect and be infected by other systems and devices.
Written by Natalie Gagliordi, Contributor

New research that points to the ability of a chip implanted in a human body to infect and be infected by other systems and devices, may potentially have serious implications for implanted medical devices, which are becoming more pervasive. British researcher Mark Gasson found that a virus-infected chip implanted in his hand was able to contaminate external systems, as well as devices that connected to those systems, Xinhua News Agency reported last month. In response to e-mail queries from ZDNet Asia, Gasson said the aim of the research was to draw attention to the lack of security in implantable devices, including medical ones.

According to the senior research fellow at the University of Reading's School of Systems Engineering, the chip implanted in his left hand near the base of his thumb allowed him to gain access to a building, as well as to operate a designated mobile phone. It was in his body for over a year before a vulnerability in the technology was deliberately exploited. The computer virus was then able to infect the building access system, as well as devices that connected to that particular system.

For more on this story, read Humans may also be infected with PC viruses on ZDNet Asia.

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