About Us Portfolio Press Careers Sitemap Advertise Contact Us Make this your Homepage

Custom Search

Register

Sign In

Sign In Using Facebook

Home » News on IT in Healthcare

Hackers Seek to Inflict Physical Harm on Epileptic Patients

by Gopalan on March 30, 2008 at 12:46 PM News on IT in Healthcare

Computer hackers have sought to bombard an epilepsy support message board and trigger headaches and even seizures in visitors.

The hackers used JavaScript code and flashing computer animation as their weapons against helpless epileptic patients, it has been reported.

Related Links

The nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation, which runs the support message board, briefly closed the site Sunday to purge the offending messages and to boost security.

�We are seeing people affected,� says Ken Lowenberg, senior director of web and print publishing at the Epilepsy Foundation. �It�s fortunately only a handful. It�s possible that people are just not reporting yet -- people affected by it may not be coming back to the forum so fast.�

The incident, possibly the first computer attack to inflict physical harm on the victims, began Saturday, March 22, when attackers used a script to post hundreds of messages embedded with flashing animated graphics, says the online magazine Wired.

The attackers turned to a more effective tactic on Sunday, injecting JavaScript into some posts that redirected users� browsers to a page with a more complex image designed to trigger seizures in both photosensitive and pattern-sensitive epileptics.

RyAnne Fultz, a 33-year-old woman who suffers from pattern-sensitive epilepsy, says she clicked on a forum post with a legitimate-sounding title on Sunday. Her browser window resized to fill her screen, which was then taken over by a pattern of squares rapidly flashing in different colors.

Page 1

Page 1 | 2

Next

Drug Testing in Schools Could Backfire, Australian Experts Warn

Brain can Detect Calorie Content Even When One Doesn�t Taste the Food

Comment & Contribute

Be the first to comment!
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters
	Notify me when reply is posted I agree to the terms and conditions
Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished. Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading.

Medwonders Health Network

Support Groups Members Discussions

Total Members - 54370
Support Groups - 445

Health News Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Latest News Most Popular Most Commented

New Treatment Offers Hope for Leishmaniasis

Blood Fat Levels Could Predict Stroke In Postmenopausal Women

Regular Intake of Vitamins and Minerals Prevent Colon Cancer

CDC Report Says Cost of Child Abuse Comparable to Diabetes

CDC Committee Recommends HPV Vaccine for Men

News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :

News Quick Links

	News Central			Health Watch
	Latest Health News			Health In Focus
	News Category (500+)			Breaking Health News
	Popular News			Celebrating Life
	Health News and Press Release			Medindia - Exclusive
	News Photo Gallery			India Special
	News Video Gallery			Lifestyle and Wellness
	News From Other Resources

News Categories:


»	Many Chinese Women are Married to Gay Men, Says Survey

»	Memory Decline may be Prevented by Decaffeinated Coffee

»	Sex Addict Woman Was Once a Man!

»	Social Network Addiction may Adversely Affect Health

»	Misleading L'Oreal Ad Banned by British Watchdog
More Life Style News

News on IT in Healthcare
»	Online Test to Educate Asthma Patients on Prevention of Serious Attacks	»	Device Reading 'Code of Life' In Hours Impresses Davos
»	Electronic Chips to Replace Faulty Parts of Living Brains	»	Usefulness of Software for Analyzing Digital Pathology Images Highlighted
»	Some Cognitive Functions can be Improved by Brain Training Computer Game	»	Step Up Protection Against Termites � �Hear Them WiSPr!�
»	3-D World of Vision in Mice Mapped With New Tools	»	Acquiring EAE/ASE 3D Echocardiography Image Referenced

Read More >>

Adolescent Depression Support Group	Agoraphobia Support Group	Alcohol abuse / Alcohol dependence / Alcoholism Support Group
Alcohol and Driving Support Group	Anorexia Nervosa Support Group	Anxiety Disorder Support Group
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Support Group	Binge Eating : The Pleasure and Pain Support Group	Bruxism / Tooth Grinding / Jaw Clenching / Teeth Clenching / Parasomnia Support Group

Hackers Seek to Inflict Physical Harm on Epileptic Patients

Medwonders Health Network

News on IT in Healthcare

Consumers

Medical Professionals

Medical Students

Directories