Hacking Implantable MedTech

In early 2010, at an NHS Hospital in England, I had an Implantable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) installed just under my skin on my chest. The device simply listened to my heart rhythms, recorded anything that it considered to be anomalous, and wirelessly allowed me to trigger it to record if I felt abnormal. I would then go back to the hospital to allow them to download the data, also wirelessly. The device was inside me for about 4 years in total. I have Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart condition which means that my left ventricle is larger than the average persons, and the reason for the device being implanted was because the doctors wanted a close long-term look at my heart anomalies. I should add at this point, I am fine, I am looked after very well by the NHS in the UK and, generally, the condition does not affect my day-to-day operations

5G the Enabler and the BYOND Mobile Event

There is no doubt that 5G is a good step forward in wireless communication. It's faster, provides greater redundancy and is (as a technology) relatively well thought through in terms of cyber security of 5G infrastructure. There are also added benefits with the application of private 5G networks.

The increase in speed that 5G provides means that sensors are able to relay data back to a base at much closer to real time, and control and automation can happen with greater reactivity to input.

Applications of 5G are vast, but some of the most exciting applications are in healthcare, smart cities, manufacturing and critical national infrastructure.

Awen's Adventures in Miniature Wonderland

One of many recent additions to Awen Collective's asset discovery tool, Dot, is the ability to parse and analyse network traffic of the Z21 protocol. Chances are you know a thing or two about model trains if "Z21" sounds familiar. Indeed, Z21 is a German organisation that maintains proprietary technologies to monitor and control miniature locomotives.

Petya or NotPetya, That is the Question

On the 27th June 2017 a wide scale cyber attack Occurred. Encrypting devices throughout 80 companies to a point beyond repair, the White House estimated the attack resulted in $10 billion worth of damages worldwide. 80% of computers infected belonged to Ukrainian organisations, their partnering companies or organisations with offices networked there.The malware spread through M.E.Doc, accounting software used heavily across Ukraine. Cyber experts noted that although being more severe and widespread, the attacks shared code with previously identified piece of malware Petya, prompting them to name this new piece “NotPetya”

Wannacry - 5 Years Later

On the 12th of May 2017 a global malware attack was identified. Targeting Windows computers all over the world, it would encrypt a user’s data and demand a ransom payment in Bitcoin. Wannacry, as the malware became known, was one of the worst recorded cyber attacks on record. Within a day the ransomware was reported to have infected over 230 thousand computers in over 150 countries…

Predatory Sparrow Hacker Group claim Iranian Steel Cyber Attack

On the 27th of June 2022, three state owned industrial steel companies’ (Khuzenstan, Moborakeh and Hormozgan) mills were the targets of a cyber attack, the worst hit mill having production brought to a complete halt. Khuzenstan claimed that security measures, alongside a rapid and vigilant response, meant the damage dealt to the production line was minimal.