Included in the update: 
 
 • Accent 
 
 • Anthem 
 
 • Accent MRI 
 
 • Accent ST 
 
 • Assurity 
 
 • Allure 
 
 Not included: Any implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) or cardiac resynchronization ICDs (CRT-Ds) 
 
 Going forward, any pacemaker manufactured as of Aug. 28, 2017 will have the update pre-loaded in the device. “As medical devices become increasingly interconnected via the Internet, hospital networks, other medical devices, and smartphones, there is an increased risk of exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities, some of which could affect how a medical device operates,” the FDA notes. While this update is being treated as a recall, the devices will continue to function as intended “and replacement of implanted pacemaker devices is not recommended.” 
 
 To that end, there are no known reports of patient harm related to the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the 465,000 radio-frequency-enabled implanted Abbott devices impacted in the U.S.; the company says this firmware update is part of a plan announced in January, and will “provide an additional layer of security against unauthorized access to these devices.” 
 
 Which devices are involved? To address these cybersecurity vulnerabilities and improve patient safety, St. Jude Medical has developed and validated this firmware update as a corrective action (recall) for all of their RF-enabled pacemaker devices, including cardiac resynchronization pacemakers. According to the company there is a “risk of patient harm due to potential exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities.” 
 
 To address this heart-hacking vulnerability, Abbott is issuing a firmware update to the pacemakers. The process will take about three minutes to complete, during which time the device will operate in backup mode “and essential, life-sustaining features will remain available.” 
 
 If you have any questions or want additional information, check out www.sjm.com/cyberupdate, or contact Abbott’s hotline at 1-800-722-3774. How to get the update 
 
 If you have an impacted pacemaker, you should talk with your physician about when you should receive the update — which requires an in-person patient visit — as well as address any questions or concerns you might have.
– Is it a recall? Is it a software update? Well, it's actually both. Abbott, the medical device company that produces implantable cardiac pacemakers under the St. Jude’s Medical brand, has issued a "corrective action," per the Food and Drug Administration, to mitigate what it calls the "risk of patient harm due to potential exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities." That's right, it's asking 465,000 people with certain devices to visit their doctors and get a firmware update so that their implants are not so easy to hack into. They say patients should schedule a visit with their doctor, and that the process will take three minutes start to finish, during which time all essential features will run in backup mode, reports Consumerist. It's unclear how many people in other countries are affected. Over the past decade, there's been an increase in reports of serious vulnerabilities in pacemakers, insulin pumps, and other medical devices, reports Ars Technica. That's because they're now outfitted with tiny radio-frequency equipment for remote maintenance that no longer requires new and costly surgeries when the devices need updating. Back in May, Engadget reported that security company WhiteScope found 8,000 bugs hackers could exploit in pacemaker programs alone. While attackers must be within 50 feet of the device to hack into it, and no one has yet to die from a cyber attack, some argue that the mere threat of an attack is reason enough to make these devices as sophisticated and protected as possible. (One pacemaker was used in an arson investigation.)