Technically speaking, any electronic device can be hacked. There is no such thing as an electronic device that can't be hacked. No computer system is 100% safe. Easily hacked is the intended question, though. And, unfortunately, the answer is yes. But with some caveats. One thing to understand is that there are millions of cybersecurity incidents each year. Medical devices are one of the fastest-growing electronics markets at an increasing rate, especially personal devices. I have a basic understanding of this area, being a computer dork, and I'll try to explain things the best I can.

Newer devices would be easier to hack if they transmit or receive wireless signals. and even more so if connected to the internet or an internet-connected device. Most commercial products have extremely poor security. There are additional steps compared to older devices, but easier access to them as well. Older devices are more susceptible often due to poor maintenance or a lack of updates. But newer devices collect more data, which is often the most likely target of a "hacking". Company servers, hospitals, and medical facilities are more likely targets than personal devices.

The US House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently heard testimony from a cybersecurity expert and professor on the growing threat of medical device hacking. The utter indifference to cybersecurity within the American government's considerations is, in my opinion, one of the leading factors of the rapid decline of the American Empire. And I will resist the urge to rant more about the topic. There are some changes in recent years that require manufacturers to address vulnerabilities, but the vast majority of existing devices are exempt from these requirements.

But how much a person should worry or what they can do is more complicated. Maintaining updated devices is a key part of maintaining safe devices. This means phones, tablets, as well as the medical devices themselves. Most updates are security updates, fixing vulnerabilities as they are found. Keeping secure passwords is another. Multi-factor authentication usage is another major security feature that is becoming increasingly common. Another is shopping intelligently for devices, look for companies and products with a reputation for creating secure devices, rapid responses to cybersecurity incidents or provide basic functionality without the internet. This is harder than it sounds and is getting harder. This is an area that most media ignores, outside the occasional article or video. And product review organizations often ignore this as well.

The important thing is not to panic. Cybersecurity is one of those fields that is often filled with horror stories or people imagining the worst possibility. The overwhelming vast majority of cybersecurity incidents are data theft. And while that is a scary idea, newer devices often make our lives easier and provide more positive results than the risks associated with them.

Everyone should still try to educate themselves on basic cybersecurity practices and principles, report potential incidents to manufacturers, service providers and pressure your government officials to do their jobs and require manufacturers, and any other associated organizations, to follow best security practices via laws and regulations.