This is a subset of the broader issue presented by industrial control and SCADA systems that are used to monitor and control critical operations in government and private-sector enterprises. They represent the nexus of IT and physical systems and open the door to the use of cyber weapons against physical targets. The first instances of such incidents in the health care field already have been seen in the U.K., where disruption of an emergency room admissions system forced patients to be turned away and sent to other facilities, Ferguson said.
“We’re moving toward the point where people will target life-support systems,” he said.