Cracking the sort of microcontrollers that direct everything from fridges to pacemakers help students develop the skills to thwart hackers. Everything from your toothbrush to your pacemaker can be hacked, and it's a reality we should prepare for, says a leading Waikato University cybersecurity expert. "There hasn't been a reported attack in the real world on a pacemaker so far," said Dr Kumar. Dr Kumar is concerned that the connectivity of devices containing microcontrollers may become a cybersecurity risk to those who depend on them. "The Internet of Things is about everyday smart devices," explained Dr Kumar.

Source: Stuff July 15, 2019 23:15 UTC