Are we ready for a computer virus attack on us ?

We are all aware of virus attacks on our computers but imagine a time when these same viruses start attacking human beings on our planet. No, that’s not a plot for some upcoming sci-fi movie, though if this article meets a discerning Hollywood director’s eyes, it might eventually be made into one.

Cybernetic Intelligence Research Group at Reading University UK has been working on such a possibility and dangers of virus infected implanted chips in human body for a long time and now their research scientist Dr Mark Gasson has literally infected himself with a computer virus. As per the story covered by BBC, Dr Gasson has surgically implanted a miniscule radio frequency identity (RFID) chip infected by malware into his hand. His experiment is to demonstrate how RFID might be electronically infected in the future and what potential security risks it carries.

This chip also allows Dr. Gasson to gain access through security doors and to activate his cell phone. While RFID is widely used in medical surgeries and procedures, it’s noteworthy that this same technology has been used for years in simple applications like paying for drinks in many upscale nightclubs.

Computer experts have described this experiment as a bizarre exercise in scaremongering, still the risks associated with such body implants cannot be ignored and should be weighed against the benefits of such implants, especially as we project implanted technology to become more and more popular in the coming years.