New Malware Strain Intentionally Bricks IoT Devices

NickJames said:
For a forum full of techies a lot of you guys sure are anti-tech lol.
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We are anti-stupid tech.

In fact I think you need to have a license to be attached to the web. Yes I'm serious. There's too many f'n idiots out there who don't know what they are doing, especially with security.
 
NickJames said:
I just feel like all this FUD is too dramatic. Is tech vulnerable to hacking and breaches? Yes. But in time we will adapt, unfortunately hackers adapt too, it's a constant struggle to maintain equilibrium which humans and technology will be fighting forever. For me on the other hand, I'll just enjoy it while I am here.

Of course for certain things we definitely shouldn't rely on technology but I don't think my house is going to explode because my fridge got hacked. But maybe keep the internet away from nuclear missiles and launch codes.
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Or just don't be a douchebag with a WiFi enabled toaster...
 
rgMekanic said:
Or just don't be a douchebag with a WiFi enabled toaster...
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You say that now but you haven't experienced the joys of being alerted to perfect toast!

All jokes aside, why is it being a douchebag to love useless tech? I mean it's how we got here after all. If some crazy guy out there didn't decide to make an electric toothbrush, we'd still be in the stone age!
 
DigitalGriffin said:
We are anti-stupid tech.

In fact I think you need to have a license to be attached to the web. Yes I'm serious. There's too many f'n idiots out there who don't know what they are doing, especially with security.
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It's the web, not driving a car. Contrary to popular opinion, the internet is not serious business.
 
NickJames said:
It's the web, not driving a car. Contrary to popular opinion, the internet is not serious business.
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The most valuable companies in the USA are Internet / Tech companies. The internet is SERIOUS business.

Things like the powergird are attached to the Intenet. The internet is SERIOUS business.

The global financial markets rely on the ultrafast connections provided by the Internet. The internet is SERIOUS business.
 
TordanGow said:
The most valuable companies in the USA are Internet / Tech companies. The internet is SERIOUS business.

Things like the powergird are attached to the Intenet. The internet is SERIOUS business.

The global financial markets rely on the ultrafast connections provided by the Internet. The internet is SERIOUS business.
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Then we got places like 4chan, reddit, forums, The Best Page in the Universe, Cracked, Youtube, Porn, Darkweb, memes. I mean, yes many corporations run on the internet but to say that the internet needs to be respected like it's some delicate ecosystem is hilarious in my opinion. If the internet crashes tomorrow, then yeah panic I guess but some of you spread way too much FUD.
 
NickJames said:
It's the web, not driving a car. Contrary to popular opinion, the internet is not serious business.
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True.. it's not like a presidential candidate threatened to go to war with a superpower over hacking or anything like that..
 
rgMekanic said:
True.. it's not like a presidential candidate threatened to go to war with a superpower over hacking or anything like that..
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Hey, if the majority of the country wants it, they get it. I mean I sure as hell didn't vote for him.
 
NickJames said:
Then we got places like 4chan, reddit, forums, The Best Page in the Universe, Cracked, Youtube, Porn, Darkweb, memes. I mean, yes many corporations run on the internet but to say that the internet needs to be respected like it's some delicate ecosystem is hilarious in my opinion. If the internet crashes tomorrow, then yeah panic I guess but some of you spread way too much FUD.
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And you are shown my your ignorance or just trolling. So which is it?

Power line communication systems control substations to keep them from blowing up.

There are factories that send live telemetry data back, as well as monitoring data. Some of these factories produce things like highly toxic nerve agents.

Some of the largest stocks in the world rely on the net. If the net were removed we are talking a 2nd great depression.

If transformers and grids go down we are looking at a second dark age for decades. Half witts in NYC go dumpster diving 2 days in New York City. What the f&@k do you think what would happen if the entire nation went down?

Do you think we will all become self sustaining farmers and hunters again until this mess is sorted out?

Yeah I could more than survive without the net. Power networks and safe factories I wouldn't do so well without however.

If you don't believe me look at what a mess a small targeted attack did to a factory...A little nasty virus called stuxnet...Imagine that on a nuclear control system. A little confusion on sensor readings (computer said one thing, sensors said another) created the mess known at 3 mile island. The operators failed to contain the situation before it got out of control because of the conflicting data.
 
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DigitalGriffin said:
And you are shown my your ignorance or just trolling. So which is it?

Power line communication systems control substations tomorrow them from blowing up.

There are factories that send live telemetry data back as well as monitoring data. Some of these factories produce thinks like highly toxic nerve agents

Or the fact some of the largest stocks in the world rely on the net. If the net were removed we are talking a 2nd great depression.

If transformers and grids go down we are looking at a second dark age for decades. Half witts in NYC go dumpster diving 2 days in New York City. What the f&@k do you think what would happen if the entire nation went down?

Do you think we will all become self sustaining farmers and hunters again until this mess is sorted out?
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Ooo it's getting spicey in here. Again, you are taking this internet thing waaay too seriously. To be honest, most people take things too seriously. I guess I am just very calm and open minded so I don't really see the issues you're trying to up play here. You really think the entirety of the internet will just go down one day without a blip? I mean, you're talking some Skynet level shit but then I think you've seen one too many Sci-Fi and Post-Apocalyptic movies. If things were as easy to takeover as you think, we would all be dead by now. The internet is not some fragile eco system that should only be used for the greater good. It's also a learning tool and entertainment device. Enjoy it dude.
 
NickJames said:
Ooo it's getting spicey in here. Again, you are taking this internet thing waaay too seriously. To be honest, most people take things too seriously. I guess I am just very calm and open minded so I don't really see the issues you're trying to up play here. You really think the entirety of the internet will just go down one day without a blip? I mean, you're talking some Skynet level shit but then I think you've seen one too many Sci-Fi and Post-Apocalyptic movies. If things were as easy to takeover as you think, we would all be dead by now. The internet is not some fragile eco system that should only be used for the greater good. It's also a learning tool and entertainment device. Enjoy it dude.
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No, but the real issues, IMHO, with all this fucking IOT shit is the precedent that it sets.

One day I may not be ABLE to purchase anything but a shitty toaster if I want an offline toaster... The more and more connected shit shoved into the market economy, the more justified it becomes.

I'm not worried about governments or ISP's tracking me... But frankly I don't want my toaster knowing I'm home in 30 years. And I don't want to buy generic shit from mass manufacturing garbage piles either... A LOT of this crap knows a LOT about you, and when companies have proven time - and time - again they don't even DESIRE to produce secure platforms... Data breaches are going to get more and more dangerous.

Also, I wouldn't mind adding... The scenario where someone bought milk in the afternoon, and put it in your fridge... completely unbeknownst to you... How many times has that happened lol? And my goodness, thank god you didn't purchase another liter of milk. That would have been chaos :p
 
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cageymaru said:
Again researchers are concerned because rendering a device useless doesn't benefit the attacker by creating a botnet or educate consumers on proper security.
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Disagree. Hitting their wallets and convenience is the best way to educate them.
 
Arcygenical said:
No, but the real issues, IMHO, with all this fucking IOT shit is the precedent that it sets.

One day I may not be ABLE to purchase anything but a shitty toaster if I want an offline toaster... The more and more connected shit shoved into the market economy, the more justified it becomes.

I'm not worried about governments or ISP's tracking me... But frankly I don't want my toaster knowing I'm home in 30 years. And I don't want to buy generic shit from mass manufacturing garbage piles either... A LOT of this crap knows a LOT about you, and when companies have proven time - and time - again they don't even DESIRE to produce secure platforms... Data breaches are going to get more and more dangerous.
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I side with privacy but at the same time I don't value my own. So that's probably why I have a more lax attitude about smart technology. I wouldn't doubt 90% of our appliances go smart withing in the next 20 years, it just seems commonplace. Hell, my washing machine and dryer already communicates through ethernet for diagnosis and lets me troubleshoot it through the internet by contacting the manufacturer. Some people will find this idea horrifying while I just think it's cool. Everyone has their own thoughts on technology I suppose and how much is too much. As for me, I'll be waiting in line for bionic limbs and cybernetic contact lenses!
 
NickJames said:
Ooo it's getting spicey in here. Again, you are taking this internet thing waaay too seriously. To be honest, most people take things too seriously. I guess I am just very calm and open minded so I don't really see the issues you're trying to up play here. You really think the entirety of the internet will just go down one day without a blip? I mean, you're talking some Skynet level shit but then I think you've seen one too many Sci-Fi and Post-Apocalyptic movies. If things were as easy to takeover as you think, we would all be dead by now. The internet is not some fragile eco system that should only be used for the greater good. It's also a learning tool and entertainment device. Enjoy it dude.
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With the number of exploits out there, a full out attack by a hostile nation could effectively cripple the entire net...and some very critical aspects of it.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
With the number of exploits out there, a full out attack by a hostile nation could effectively cripple the entire net...and some very critical aspects of it.
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Do you honestly worry about such things daily or when you go to buy something or are you just using this scenario to fit the argument?

Gas pumps are internet connected, that should be more upsetting than a door sensor :p
 
NickJames said:
The Nest can detect when you're not home so it can turn off the AC. It can detect when you're getting home so it'll start to cool down the house. I can control it from my bed and I can control it when I am away. I have saved well over $100/month with the Nest. Florida heat and my home has terrible insulation. As for the fridge, convenience; lets say a family member brought milk during the afternoon, instead of calling to find out I can just check what's inside and immediately make the decision to not stop for milk on the way home from work. I don't see how having a calendar to put appointments and reminders in is not having good memory. Maybe I am just a very busy individual.
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Getting better insulation would save you more money than the Nest ever would and the insulation doesn't track your movements and upload them to the internet.
 
damicatz said:
Getting better insulation would save you more money than the Nest ever would and the insulation doesn't track your movements and upload them to the internet.
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Yeah let me just rebuild my roof for like $20K. No thanks. I'll be saving that money towards a better home.
 
I want to start making my house smart, but I know what I'm doing and won't expose any devices I perceive as having weaknesses. As far as I'm concerned, UPNP needs to be off in all routers and only enabled after a long warning. Nothing better than having to forward a port and having to assign a static IP as a deterrent.
Bitches need to hire a system admin for their house. Lol.

Ps. Shedding no tears after reading this.
 
CacaSapo said:
I want to start making my house smart, but I know what I'm doing and won't expose any devices I perceive as having weaknesses. As far as I'm concerned, UPNP needs to be off in all routers and only enabled after a long warning. Nothing better than having to forward a port and having to assign a static IP as a deterrent.
Bitches need to hire a system admin for their house. Lol.

Ps. Shedding no tears after reading this.
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You need to do more than just not forward ports. Proper security would be to block all outbound connections too, of course unless you wanted that device to be able to initiate an outside connection.
 
TordanGow said:
Do you even know how insulation works?
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I don't think you understand my situation. Solid concrete, 3 additions, none of which were built with insulation or drywall, flat roof with less than 6 inches between exterior tar flat roof and sheet rock, no insulation. To insulate would mean to tear open the roof and start adding walls to the exterior rooms because the additions are solid block concrete, no not cinder block, SOLID BLOCK CONCRETE. So yeah, I know how it works and it would be real fucking expensive to start now.
 
NickJames said:
It's the web, not driving a car. Contrary to popular opinion, the internet is not serious business.
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It isn't? Sure seems to be the most important invention of our time to me and I imagine most everyone can agree it is a major and serious deal.
 
TordanGow said:
You need to do more than just not forward ports. Proper security would be to block all outbound connections too, of course unless you wanted that device to be able to initiate an outside connection.
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That's true, but only for devices that have "cloud services" which I'd not sign up for anyway. The gaping holes are open inbound ports.
 
I honestly wish they would make it a requirement for these devices to function that the defaults all be changed. No IoT device or consumer router /etc should ever have admin/admin or admin/password. This is just a ridiculous problem to have no matter how you look at it.
 
NickJames said:
I don't think you understand my situation. Solid concrete, 3 additions, none of which were built with insulation or drywall, flat roof with less than 6 inches between exterior tar flat roof and sheet rock, no insulation. To insulate would mean to tear open the roof and start adding walls to the exterior rooms because the additions are solid block concrete, no not cinder block, SOLID BLOCK CONCRETE. So yeah, I know how it works and it would be real fucking expensive to start now.
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What was the code inspector doing the day they inspected that building? Receiving a blowjob? There is no way what you described would be to code for a residential structure. Not now, not 50 years ago.
 
KarsusTG said:
I honestly wish they would make it a requirement for these devices to function that the defaults all be changed. No IoT device or consumer router /etc should ever have admin/admin or admin/password. This is just a ridiculous problem to have no matter how you look at it.
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Agree its a pretty easy fix to require a password change at first login... This has been done in desktops for years.
 
damicatz said:
What was the code inspector doing the day they inspected that building? Receiving a blowjob? There is no way what you described would be to code for a residential structure. Not now, not 50 years ago.
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Welcome to Florida, half the homes here aren't permitted. The owners around here claim hurricane damage and remodel. 90% of the time the inspectors don't care and let it pass. My neighbor has 2 illegally built additions and the home on the corner from me was built by the owner himself and never pulled any permits. A lot of people here end up building their own homes/additions out of pocket through friends and family. Once the structure is in place, unless someone reports them nothing is done. I have never seen a structure around here torn down due to lack of permits.

My home has no permits pulled and is listed as a 3/1 when it is in fact a 4/2. There's about 400sqft of addition that was unaccounted for somewhere between 1970-1980. I know this because when I drilled through my wall I found old beer cans and newspaper clipping from the 70s in there embedded in the concrete!
 
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NickJames said:
I just feel like all this FUD is too dramatic. Is tech vulnerable to hacking and breaches? Yes. But in time we will adapt, unfortunately hackers adapt too, it's a constant struggle to maintain equilibrium which humans and technology will be fighting forever. For me on the other hand, I'll just enjoy it while I am here.

Of course for certain things we definitely shouldn't rely on technology but I don't think my house is going to explode because my fridge got hacked. But maybe keep the internet away from nuclear missiles and launch codes.
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I've been hearing "in time we will adapt" for 30 years now. Guess what, people are still sending that Nigerian prince money. There comes a point where you have to accept the fact that people are fucking retarded.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
I've been hearing "in time we will adapt" for 30 years now. Guess what, people are still sending that Nigerian prince money. There comes a point where you have to accept the fact that people are fucking retarded.
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But the retards adapted to iphones so they can tweet themselves robbing a bank so I guess it still checks out.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
I've been hearing "in time we will adapt" for 30 years now. Guess what, people are still sending that Nigerian prince money. There comes a point where you have to accept the fact that people are fucking retarded.
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Right up until you fall for something and then hey, it was just a mistake, right? There are a great many things out there that still look legitimate but of course, are not. People just have to be taught to be more careful.
 
kju1 said:
There are times when the presets simply dont work and it needs to be adjusted so bedridden individuals would disagree with you. Not everyone has the luxury of walking.

Also the nest does a lot more than you give it credit for. It can shut off the compressor early and still reach the target temperature for example. I had one of the "expensive" programmable digital thermostats prior to getting a nest. It was programmed and kept my temperature where I wanted it 98% of the time (there will always be times when youre normal preferences dont apply..i.e. if you get sick). Still I rarely touched the thing. Then I got a Nest, which I never touch - it learned my schedule on its own, and optimized it. Plus my electricity bill went down by about $75/month with no other changes to the house...
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75 a month? hmm is that REALLY true? Nest themselves dont claim that high though.
 
Uvaman2 said:
75 a month? hmm is that REALLY true? Nest themselves dont claim that high though.
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Really depends on your home. Now that I think about it my savings was that high because I recently upgraded the A/C unit. The old one had an issue where the fan would run 24 hours/day. But I don't doubt my Nest has saved roughly $25-50/month on average by just automatically adjusting itself and turning off the compressor at the right times. Instead of my A/C running 12+ hours a day it now runs about 3-4 hours on a normal day, 6-8 on bad days. Pretty damn good I would say. My only complaint is not being able to see past 10+ days of history. Very strange limitation.
 
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