10 standard household or otherwise everyday devices that unexpectedly can be hacked
10 : Your Television
As technology progresses, more & more people moved to watching Netflix or Hulu on their Smart Phones. At the same time companies began to release streaming devices such as the Roku or the Amazon Fire. To combat this, television companies began introducing the same technology into Smart TVs. Smart TVs can be used to browse the internet, use social networks, purchase movies & perform many other functions.
Research has shown that a number of Smart Televisions are just as vulnerable to hack as phones or computers. Malicious code can be introduced via Skype, Twitter, or Facebook. The attacker can then use the Smart TV as part of a bot net. If the Smart Television is equipped with a camera, it could also be used to spy or record conversations.
Security firms have detailed how an exploit in some Smart Televisions allow for hackers to steal sensitive information stored in cookies. The exploit even allows hackers to download personal files. A demo video produced by ReVuln is provided below.
ReVuln – The TV is watching you from ReVuln on Vimeo.
9: Toilets
The toilet is probably the last thing you would think requires wifi or internet access. However as everything is progressing towards the way of the future functionality of the toilet has been automated. Below we see a video form software security firm Softwave confirming a problem the security in electronic toilets, as many can be communicated with an app via Blue Tooth. Hard coded 6 digit Blue Tooth pin codes are easily attacked with brute force.
Once an electronic toilet is hijacked, the user can then operate a number of functions on the toilet such as constant flushing, opening or closing the lid, or operating the water bidet.
8: Printers
Numerous security researches have been able to hack printers using exploits in widely employed weak encryption. They were able to insert malicious code into the devices firmware. At this point, the attacker has effectively taken complete control of the printer. Once malicious code has gotten into a printer, it can be very difficult to remove, as traditional malware or anti-virus software are not designed to run on the printers operating system.
Below is a video showcasing researchers at Context Information Security that have hacked a Canon Pixma printer with modified firmware to run the classic 90s computer game Doom.
7 : Car Keys
Some higher end modern cars no longer require keys to open the doors or start the engine. Instead drivers just need to have the electronic key-card with them. The car reads the signal from the key, allowing the car to start & the doors to open. There are a variety of ways that hackers have found to cause the car to think that is has the genuine key. One way is to brute force the six digit pass-code. As only digits are used, making them even more simple to be taken over.
6 : ATMs
A surprisingly large number of ATMs run on Windows XP or earlier versions of Windows. Any existing security exploit that Windows XP is susceptible to, will work on an ATM running Windows XP. As it was one of the most popular & widely used Operating Systems, there were a lot of security holes found, & exploits created. An even larger issue is that Microsoft has long since ended it’s support for Windows XP.
5 :Fridge
California based security firm : Proof Point brought to light a number of everyday devices that were vaulnerable to security exploits. The most surprising of which being modern refrigerators. Smart fridges are easily hacked because people often leave the default settings or do not enable any of the advanced security. Most people do not see the fridge as being a device that is vulnerable, & do not take any action to secure access.
4 : Baby Monitors
Some monitors output data at all times, & either have no password set or use default security configurations allowing them to be accessed with little to no effort. Baby Monitors that include a camera can also be accessed remotely & the home owners spied upon.
3: Car Breaks
As a cost saving measure, auto manufacturers are increasingly using electrical rather than mechanical systems to operate vehicle functionality. This change to the breaking system has been one of the most prominent change in recent years. This is known as break by wire & is able to be taken control of, by exploiting on-board computer system. The security researchers were then able to selectively use the breaks on separate wheels, effectively steering the car. Additionally the largest fear, completely removing the ability to break leaves the driver unable to slow the car.
2: Traffic lights
Traffic lights have been remotely hacked for some time now, with people making their own flashing light that triggers emergency systems. This action carries heavy fines, obviously. Another exploit involves altering sensors on the road that relays false information. By forcing the signal to report that the road is experiencing heavy traffic, the light will then deviate from it’s normal pattern, allowing traffic through. As these traffic light systems do not use any type of encryption, anyone is able to alter the data going to the traffic control center.
1: Medical Implants
Millions of people around the world depend on medical implants to keep them healthy. Advances in technology have pushed these implants to be more inventive. For example, pace makers can be controlled using remote devices designed to modify the device without the need for additional surgery. Alarmingly, these devices (like all of the ones perilously mentioned) are not well secured. A number of researchers have found that these implant devices are susceptible to a number of security threats. Because they use radio waves or other types of wireless signals to communicate, this allows for hackers to exploit weaknesses. Security researchers were able to stop pace-makers or alter devices that provide insulin. Both of these exploits can cause serious health issues, potentially leading to death!
Agree or disagree with this list? Think your favorite should have been included? Please leave your comments below!