article_snippet.sent: A flaw in robots designed to perform surgery has been found that lets them be easily hacked, according to researchers.
article_snippet.sent: The experts were able to take control of a so-called telerobot during surgery by exploiting a simple programming trick.
article_snippet.sent: This enabled The experts to change the speed of the arms of the robot and change The experts orientation, making it impossible for the machines to carry out a procedure as directed.
article_snippet.sent: Researchers at the University of Washington found that robots designed for surgery could be 'easily' hacked in to.
article_snippet.sent: Due to the open and uncontrollable nature of communication networks, it becomes easy for malicious entities to jam, disrupt, or take over the communication between a robot and a surgeon,’ said the researchers.
article_snippet.sent: This included changing the commands sent by an operator to the robot, modifying signals or hijacking - completely taking over - the robot.
article_snippet.sent: And they were also able to ‘easily stop the robot from ever being properly reset, thus effectively making a surgical procedure impossible.
article_snippet.sent: During this experiment, an operator was asked to move blocks onto different pegs (shown) with the robot, but when the 'hackers' took control, the task proved difficult - or impossible .
article_snippet.sent: Because of the wide variety of physical and digital capabilities these systems wield, telerobotic security needs to become front-and-centre.
article_snippet.sent: To Make a Robot Secure: An Experimental Analysis of Cyber Security Threats Against Teleoperated Surgical Robots on arXiv.
highlights_snippet.sent: Researchers at the University of Washington found robots designed for surgery could be hacked  and manipulated .
  