System and method for securely exchanging sensitive information with an implantable medical device

• US 8,327,139 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Healy, Scott J., Von Arx, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): POWERS, WILLIAM S
• Application Number:
  US12/184,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168, 607/57, 607/59, 607/60
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37254 Pacemaker or defibrillator security, e.g. to prevent or inhibit programming alterations by hackers or unauthorised individuals
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices

Abstract

A system and method for securely exchanging sensitive information with an implantable medical device is presented. A crypto key stored on an implantable medical device is retrieved by a programmer via a secure short range interface. Sensitive information is encrypted as sensitive data using the crypto key. The encrypted data is stored on the implantable medical device.

Claims

1. A system for securely exchanging sensitive information with an implantable medical device, comprising:

an implantable medical device programmed to store a crypto key; and

a programmer configured to retrieve the crypto key from the implantable medical device via a secure unencrypted short range interface, to encrypt sensitive information using the retrieved crypto key;

to send the encrypted data to the implantable medical device;

to receive encrypted sensitive information from the implantable medical device; and

to decrypt the encrypted sensitive information from the implantable medical device with the crypto key.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a key generator configured to generate the crypto key during manufacture of the implantable medical device; and

a storage module configured to store the crypto key on the implantable medical device.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the encrypted data is stored on the implantable medical device via one of the secure short range interface and a non-secure long range interface.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the secure short range interface comprises inductive telemetry and the non-secure long range interface comprises radio frequency telemetry.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device dynamically generates the crypto key.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the crypto key is dynamically generated by the programmer, and downloaded and persistently stored on the implantable medical device.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the crypto key is persistently stored on the implantable medical device.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the crypto key is uniquely assigned to the implantable medical device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the crypto key is symmetric.

10. A method for securely exchanging sensitive information with an implantable medical device, comprising:

storing a crypto key on an implantable medical device;

retrieving the crypto key stored on the implantable medical device onto a programmer via a secure unencrypted short range interface;

encrypting sensitive information using the programmer as encrypted data using the crypto key;

sending the encrypted data to the implantable medical device;

receiving encrypted sensitive information from the implantable medical device; and

decrypting the encrypted sensitive information from the implantable medical device with the crypto key.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

generating the crypto key during manufacture of the implantable medical device; and

storing the crypto key on the implantable medical device.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the encrypted data is stored on the implantable medical device via one of the secure short range interface and a non-secure long range interface.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the secure short range interface comprises inductive telemetry and the non-secure long range interface comprises radio frequency telemetry.

14. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

dynamically generating the crypto key on the implantable medical device.

15. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

dynamically generating the crypto key with the programmer; and

downloading and persistently storing the crypto key on the implantable medical device.

16. A system according to claim 10, wherein the crypto key is persistently stored on the implantable medical device.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the crypto key is uniquely assigned to the implantable medical device.

18. An implantable medical device for securely providing sensitive information, comprising:

a delivery module configured to transmit a crypto key stored on the implantable medical device to a programmer via an unencrypted secure connection;

a receiver configured to receive sensitive information encrypted on the programmer using the crypto key;

a memory configured to store the encrypted sensitive information; and

a secure interface configured to provide access to the stored sensitive information, wherein the stored sensitive information is configured to be decrypted with the crypto key.

19. An implantable medical device according to claim 18, further comprising one or more of:

a transceiver configured to transmit the encrypted sensitive information to the programmer via radio frequency telemetry; and

a communication interface configured to transmit the encrypted sensitive information to the programmer via inductive telemetry.

20. An implantable medical device according to claim 18, further comprising:

a key repository configured to persistently store the crypto key.

21. An implantable medical device according to claim 18, wherein the crypto key is statically generated and stored during manufacture of the implantable medical device.

22. A method for securely providing sensitive information, comprising:

storing a crypto key on an implantable medical device during manufacture of the implantable medical device;

transmitting the crypto key from the implantable medical device to a programmer via an unencrypted secure connection;

encrypting sensitive information on the programmer using the crypto key;

transmitting the encrypted sensitive information from the programmer to the implantable medical device;

storing the encrypted sensitive information on the implantable medical device; and

providing access to the encrypted sensitive information over the secure connection.

23. A method according to claim 22, further comprising one of:

transmitting the encrypted sensitive information to the programmer via radio frequency telemetry; and

transmitting the encrypted sensitive information to the programmer via inductive telemetry.

24. A method according to claim 22, further comprising:

persistently storing the crypto key.

25. A method according to claim 22, further comprising retrieving the crypto key and encrypted sensitive information with an external source;

and decrypting the encrypted sensitive information with the external source.