Microsoft Suggests Pacemaker Password Tattoos

Did you know that some pacemakers and other implanted medical devices can be accessed and reprogrammed wirelessly? The purpose for this is to make managing the devices easier for doctors and patients. However, it can also leave them vulnerable to abuse. In 2008, researchers demonstrated that heart monitors were susceptible to wireless hacks that caused pacemakers to shut off or leak personal information. To protect against potential malfeasance, passwords are being considered these to keep these devices safe. But as we all know, passwords can be tough to remember. What if a patient forgets or a doctor needs the password in an emergency? One Microsoft researcher has a proposal: tattoo the password on patients.

Although not in use yet, the idea is to tattoo device passwords onto patients with invisible ink that can only be seen under ultra-violet light (ultraviolet-ink micropigmentation), thus giving doctors an easy way to access the passwords in an emergency while allowing patients additional safety by password protecting the device. The proposal calls for the tattoo to be placed next to the implanted device for optimal access, with a backup copy tattooed on your foot.

This proposal is one way to address the device security problem, but it will be interesting to see the patient response. In the Microsoft research proposal, they do briefly mention patient-acceptability:

Patients may have cultural concerns that arise from perceptions of tattoos as signals of low socioeconomic status, affiliation (e.g. motorcycle gangs), or youthful short-sightedness. Patients may recall the use of tattoos to identify prisoners during the holocaust or to identify citizens in depictions of dystopian futures.

The proposal by Microsoft Researcher Stuart Schechter is available on the Microsoft website.  

What are your thoughts? Is this a good idea? Let us know by commenting below.

Photo by: yuichirock