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Abbott Issues New Cybersecurity Patch For Cardiac Devices

After Abbott recently settled a case against short-seller Muddy Waters, the company has put out a second cybersecurity patch for certain St. Jude radio-frequency enabled cardiac devices to stop potential hackers from harming patients.

Following concerns about potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities on certain Abbott Laboratories Inc. implantable cardiac devices, US FDA has alerted patients and health-care providers to another firmware rolled out by the company to mitigate those risks. The firmware also tackles problems with premature battery depletion, which the agency says is unrelated to the cybersecurity concerns.

In 2016, Muddy Waters Research, a short-sale trading company, published research it had conducted with MedSec Holdings Ltd. that found serious vulnerabilities in certain St. Jude Medical cardiac devices that could be exploited to potentially harm or kill patients. St. Jude, which was later acquired by Abbott, pushed back against the report and Abbott even sued Muddy Waters for what it said was intentionally spreading false and misleading information. In February, however, the companies quietly settled the lawsuit

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