Scientists create digital 'magic wand' to improve at-home device cybersecurity

Dartmouth College Professor David Kotz demonstrates a commercial prototype of Wanda sharing information such as the network name and password of a Wi-Fi access point on a blood pressure monitor.--Courtesy of Dartmouth College

Medical device security is at the top of most people's minds lately, especially as products move into the home setting and monitoring becomes more challenging. Now, researchers are tackling the issue by creating a digital "magic wand" that could increase device cybersecurity at home.

Scientists at Dartmouth College are developing a tool that helps prevent hackers from stealing personal health data. The system, dubbed Wanda, allows individuals to pull a small wand from a USB port on a Wi-Fi access point and aim it at a new device at close range. After a few seconds, the wand beams the secret Wi-Fi network information to the device and makes it secure and operational.

Patients can also use the same technique to transfer information from the wand from a new device without people tampering with the data, the researchers said in a statement. The scientists plan to present a paper with their findings at the upcoming Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM) in San Francisco in April.

The team already has some support in its corner. The project is backed by a $10 million, 5-year grant from the National Science Foundation. And experts in diverse fields including business, health policy and health care information technology from top-notch institutions such as the Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University are lending their expertise to the initiative.

Researchers have big plans for their system. "We anticipate our Wanda technology being useful in a wide variety of applications, not just health care, and for a wide range of device management tasks, not just Wi-Fi network configuration," Dartmouth computer science professor and leader of the project David Kotz said in a statement.

Eventually, the tool could help reduce gaps in security and offer a better way to monitor information. "We are developing novel methods for security and privacy so we can help usher in an era of effective and secure mobile health solutions," Kotz said.

Source