Wireless capability disabled in Vice President Cheney's implanted defibrillator (cbsnews.com)
In 2007, when Cheney needed his implanted defibrillator replaced, Dr. Reiner ordered the manufacturer to disable the wireless feature - fearing a terrorist could assassinate the vice president by sending a signal to the device, telling it to shock his heart into cardiac arrest.
Jonathan Reiner: And it seemed to me to be a bad idea for the vice president to have a device that maybe somebody on a rope line or in the next hotel room or downstairs might be able to get into-- hack into. And I worried that someone could kill you.
It might sound farfetched, but years later this scene from the SHOWTIME drama "Homeland" showed just how it could be done to the fictional vice president.
Sanjay Gupta: What did you think when you watched that?
Dick Cheney: Well, I was aware of the danger, if you will, that existed but I found it credible. Because I know from the experience we had and the necessity for adjusting my own device that it was an accurate portrayal of what was possible.
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[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 14.4 ms ] threadIn 2007, when Cheney needed his implanted defibrillator replaced, Dr. Reiner ordered the manufacturer to disable the wireless feature - fearing a terrorist could assassinate the vice president by sending a signal to the device, telling it to shock his heart into cardiac arrest.
Jonathan Reiner: And it seemed to me to be a bad idea for the vice president to have a device that maybe somebody on a rope line or in the next hotel room or downstairs might be able to get into-- hack into. And I worried that someone could kill you.
It might sound farfetched, but years later this scene from the SHOWTIME drama "Homeland" showed just how it could be done to the fictional vice president.
Sanjay Gupta: What did you think when you watched that?
Dick Cheney: Well, I was aware of the danger, if you will, that existed but I found it credible. Because I know from the experience we had and the necessity for adjusting my own device that it was an accurate portrayal of what was possible.