Hackers targeting IoT - Internet of ThingsTechnological evolution has already started to unveil itself in all its glory. From Wi-Fi routes and webcams to cars and smart thermostats, it seems that everything is connected. This interconnectedness is something known as internet of everything or Internet of things and it seems to be drawing attention of the big guys in the technology industry, from Apple to Samsung. But while we are waiting for a complete interconnectedness to occupy our whole lives, let us look at some of the dangers that internet of things can bring with it in the future. Security breaches found in the Internet of ThingsThe main problem of connecting everything so that it is accessible online is the vulnerability of every internet-enabled device it has to a plethora of different cyber attacks. Though as real as it gets, these cyber attacks are something that most people overlook, as they do not expect their cars, fridges or baby monitors to get hacked. This is why FBI, US Department of Transportation and NHTSA have conducted an experiment where two hackers managed to hack a Jeep Cherokee while traveling at 70 miles per hour, to turn its steering wheel and “push” the brakes. And everything was done remotely at that. The experiment was done in the spirit of awakening not only the public but also the manufacturers, highlighting the potential problems and possible security shortcomings of internet of things engineering. This, so to say, carelessness comes from the fact that many people are not even aware that their devices, such as fitness trackers and refrigerators, are at risk of being hacked just as their laptops and PCs are. Hence why, they don’t take necessary steps to protect them as they usually do with their smart phones or personal computers. Exploitee.rs researchers have found a way to physically hack any device that uses eMMC flash memory. All they needed was the flash memory chip, card reader and some wire. By soldering 5 wires to the flash memory chip ( ground, command line, power line, data line and clock line), they were able to hook flash to the SD card reader , which in turned allowed them to plug into a computer, just as they normally would. From here on, they managed to research software vulnerabilities and finally take control of the whole device. The point of this hack was to highlight once again the range of different devices (cell phones, tablets, TV sets, fridges etc.) that use flash memory that are so easily hacked, but are still released by the manufacturers. They also wanted to point out that nothing is lost, even after the physical access to hardware occurs, which seems to be a general opinion amongst the manufacturers. |