Who would have thought 20 years ago that everyone and everything will be connected to the Internet, that our daily lives will depend so much on our online communications?
Advancement has its risks, as you can see in the following examples.
1. Car accidents
A car accident. Photo by mxlanderos
On March 2010 more than a 100 car drivers in Austin, Texas had an intimidating surprise: Their car horns went out of control and their car engines turned off without warning (while driving, mind you).
Turns out a computer hacker hacked into a Web-connected system in the cars normally used to get the attention of consumers delinquent in their auto payments.
Thankfully no one got hurt. This time.
2. Epilepsy
As some of you may or may not know, people with epilepsy can sometimes have their attacks triggered by outside stimulation, such as a flashing light. In 2008, a computer hacker from California planted a virus in an epilepsy Web forum, causing the screen to blink. Many of the visitors had an attack upon visiting the website.
If that wasn’t enough, a day later users of the forum were directed automatically to another website that flashed even more triggering pictures and caused further attacks.
3. Risky hospitals
A hospital corridor. Photo by BertBeckers
Progress hasn’t skipped hospitals, and many of them are dependant on computers for various functions. On July 2009 a computer hacker took control of the main computer system in a Dallas based hospital. He turned off the air conditioners, the cooling systems in the operating rooms, and damaged a software that was used in the hospital clinics. On computer screens throughout the hospital the word GhostExodus appeared.
But that was nothing compared to an attack that took place a year before that in London, where an Internet based virus caused the failure of the computer network, rendering 4,700 computers in St Bartholomew medical center and in the hospital for lung and chest diseases unusable. Ambulances were sent to wrong hospitals and patient files became inaccessible.
Cases like these raise the concern that hackers won’t stop at just plain ‘ole viruses and actually gain control of specific features in hospital systems. That way they’ll be able to change a patient’s blood type in the hospital’s database, change the drugs they are supposed to take, and even take control of operating robots in the middle of surgery.
What do you think? Is progress a boon or a threat? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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