British Scientist Infects Himself with Computer Virus

Now here’s something you don’t hear everyday…

A British scientist who worked at Reading University, who had a chip implanted in him to allow him hands-free access to University labs and to secure his cell phone, recently decided to infect the chip with a computer virus.  The result?  The virus in the chip infected other systems that scanned the chip: his cell phone, the lab’s security system, etc. 

This is exactly what Dr. Mark Gasson wanted to demonstrate:  this “secure” technology we come in contact with isn’t all that secure.  Watch this video to see the whole lowdown on what Dr. Gasson did:

 

My Thoughts:

This is something that has come up in conversation with my geek friends and coworkers.  With everything going electronic and linked up through networks, the threat of viruses is all the more real.  There are apps that let you pay for things with your credit card through your phone.  So what if your phone gets a virus?  Companies are working on a system to open cars with ID cards or phones.  Same problem. Car companies are also speculating on cars being all electronic and run by GPS (no more driving, you just sit in the car and it drives for you).  Couldn’t someone hack into the system and take you where they want you to go? 

So I totally agree with what Dr. Gasson did.  Before all these new technologies hit the market, their creators will take a second look to try and prevent hacking or the spreading of viruses.