Chesterbrook’s Animas has issued a warning that its OneTouch Ping insulin pump is vulnerable to a hack which could allow an unauthorized person to remotely trigger an insulin injection, writes Ian Bush for CBS Philly.

“Three vulnerabilities that were discovered by a security researcher have the potential to allow a malicious attacker to interfere with the pump’s operation to deliver insulin doses when the patient is not specifically intended to have them,” commented Tim Erlin from security firm TripWire.

One solution provided by Animas and its parent Johnson & Johnson  is for OneTouch Ping users to turn on the device’s vibrating alert, which notifies them in case an insulin dose is triggered by the remote.

Erlin praised the two companies for bringing this issue to light but emphasized the need for caution in future ‘smart’ medical equipment.

“We’re headed in a direction of more connection, more connectivity between devices, and so now is the time to start putting in place the rigor for testing the security of these connected devices,” he noted.

Read more about the issue at CBS Philly here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Animas here.