School of Design Engineering & Computing

Workshop Framework Specifications

Computing Undergraduate Framework

April 2015

Sherin Mohan

Target Audience
First year undergraduate students from BU

Workshop Length
2 -3 Hours

Lesson Aim
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Outline Diabetes and implantable medical devices.

Wireless communication capabilities in IMDs
Outline the information security concepts
Explore the vulnerabilities of IMDs
Explore the possible solutions for wireless attacks on IMDs

Learning objectives
Workshop objectives will be obtained after conducting an experiment of attacking
wireless communication between (preferably a CGM & Insulin pump), while
explaining the lesson aims. This will give an opportunity for the students to interact
with the lecturer while dong the experiment.

o Understand what are implantable medical device and its characteristics.

o Critically evaluate the information security aspects, and how important it is in
the healthcare industry and device.
o Critically evaluate the privacy and security implications of information
assurance and cyber security of implantable medical devices.
o Understand the networking concepts in implantable medical devices and
various types of wireless attacks.
o Critically evaluate the importance of device standards and goal requirements.
o Understand the importance of security development lifecycle process when
designing IMD for safety of patients
o Understand the solutions to the various wireless attacks

Workshop Plan (Presentation)

Outline the background of the following

o Medical Device
o Wireless Implantable medical device
o Basics of Diabetes and insulin pump therapy

Students to gain an awareness of concepts of information security in

implantable medical device.
o Security Principles
o Security Methodology
o Security architecture
o Security Management

Awareness of different threats against information security in medical devices.

o Confidentiality - Data extraction, data tampering, Data Flooding
o Integrity Access attempts, Malfunction update, Malicious inputs
o Availability Device reprogramming, Device turn off

Short distance Wireless technology in health care and its characteristics.

o Bluetooth
o Zigbee
o Wi-Fi

Wireless Security attacks and challenges in implantable medical devices

o Software radio attacks
o Jamming attack
o Eavesdrop attack (DoS attack)
o Impersonation attack
o Audit Mechanisms

Implantable medical device standards and criteria requirements

o Security and privacy goals
o Safety and availability goals

Solutions
o Encryption/Decryption
o Cryptography Techniques
o Secure symmetric key hashing digital signature
o Intrusion detection

Workshop (Experiment Practical tasks)

Conduct an experiment to explore the vulnerabilities of Wireless Implantable medical
device by using either Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) or Arduino
hardware platform.

USRP is a range of software-defines radios/transceiver that act as a standard PC into a

powerful wireless prototyping system. It helps you to offer powerful solutions for
prototyping Radio Frequency (RF) and communication system.
Arduino hardware is an open source computer hardware and software for user
community that designs and manufactures kits for building digital devices and
interactive objects that sense and control other devices.
Aim
USRP can intercept radio communications within a frequency band (between the
insulin pump & CGM), and generate wireless signals with different configurations of
data, frequency, modulation, and power. This interruption helps students to
communicate with the CGM to broadcast false data.
Arduino Hardware (a separate sensor and transmitter) can be used to catch the
frequency band of wireless communication between two different devices. Arduino
antenna will assist to do this step, and transmit modified data to the targeted device
by using a transmitter.

Predicted Results
Both hardware devices are aimed to Reverse-Engineer the wireless communication
protocol and launch active attacks on insulin pump.
Workshop Challenges
o Getting the right hardware apparatus to conduct the workshop successfully.
o Students knowledge and interest on this specific subject.
o Students availability and time.