The Time a Human Got Infected with a Computer Virus

Wireless technologies such as RFID and NFC have become very popular today thanks to tracking chips, identification cards, public transport passes, contactless payments, and many more applications. However, these solutions are not free from security-related problems. In 2010, Professor Mark Gasson of the University of Reading decided to demonstrate this in a very particular way: installing a computer virus on the chip he carried under his skin.

A fairly common recommendation when adopting a pet (let's say a dog) is to place a chip under its skin. Due to cost and availability concerns, a metal tag engraved with the owner's details is often preferred, but that doesn't limit the technology's potential.

In fact, there are already very important applications in the world of medicine, and we are slowly seeing a growing number of users who have decided to adopt subcutaneous chips as security solutions. One of the pioneers was Professor Mark Gasson, of the University of Reading:

Gasson implanted an RFID chip in his left hand in early 2009 (March 16 to be precise). The chip allowed him quick access to university facilities without relying on a classic card, and also served as an authentication system for his mobile phone.

But in April 2010 he performed a demonstration that set off several alarms: he loaded a computer virus onto his chip, which could potentially "contaminate" any device that read it. Technically, Gasson became the first man infected with malware, and he suggested the possibility that a compromised chip could infect other chips, and harm more devices, including pacemakers.

Obviously, such a statement drew criticism from researchers and companies alike. Sophos people called Gasson's work "bad science" and "alarmism".

However, two years later, a McAfee researcher discovered that an implantable insulin pump can be compromised via its wireless link. If we have learned anything in recent years, it is that we must not let our guard down...