If only computer hacking was bad enough, scientists fear that one day even your brain might be invaded by an outsider. The past year had some researchers develop a technology to make human thoughts control a computer, a wheelchair and even use Twitter – all without lifting a finger! And along the same plane, one can say that as neural devices get more complicated and advanced, brain hacking could pose as a serious problem in the times to come.
The security expert at the University of Washington, Tadayoshi Kohno is one of them. He feels that if we do not pay attention to security issues then we might find ourselves in a tight spot in the future. Imagine, if hackers start using the deep-brain stimulators used to treat Parkinson’s or depression, or even electrode systems for controlling prosthetic limbs. The latest Neurosurgical Focus magazine voices all the related concerns.
But why would someone want to hack your brain? Well, there have been plenty of incidents when computers have been used to cause neurological harm. In the last two years, some malicious programmers vanadalised epilepsy support websites and posted flashing animatons which caused seizures in some photo-sensitive patients. So, there is a chance of both a security and privacy problem.
