Unfixable Automobile Computer Security Vulnerability

Posted on By infossl
cars, computersecurity, mitigation, protocols, Security technology, vulnerabilities

There is an unpatchable vulnerability that affects most modern cars. It’s buried in the Controller Area Network (CAN): Researchers say this flaw is not a vulnerability in the classic meaning of the word. This is because the flaw is more of a CAN standard design choice that makes it unpatchable. Patching the issue means changing … Read More “Unfixable Automobile Computer Security Vulnerability” »

Do the Police Need a Search Warrant to Access Cell Phone Location Data?

Posted on By infossl
cellphones, courts, nationalsecuritypolicy, police, Security technology

The US Supreme Court is deciding a case that will establish whether the police need a warrant to access cell phone location data. This week I signed on to an amicus brief from a wide array of security technologists outlining the technical arguments as why the answer should be yes. Susan Landau summarized our arguments. … Read More “Do the Police Need a Search Warrant to Access Cell Phone Location Data?” »

Hacking a Gene Sequencer by Encoding Malware in a DNA Strand

Posted on By infossl
academicpapers, computersecurity, dna, hacking, malware, Security technology

One of the common ways to hack a computer is to mess with its input data. That is, if you can feed the computer data that it interprets — or misinterprets — in a particular way, you can trick the computer into doing things that it wasn’t intended to do. This is basically what a … Read More “Hacking a Gene Sequencer by Encoding Malware in a DNA Strand” »

Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Eyeballs

Posted on By infossl
academicpapers, Security technology, squid

Details on how a squid’s eye corrects for underwater distortion: Spherical lenses, like the squids’, usually can’t focus the incoming light to one point as it passes through the curved surface, which causes an unclear image. The only way to correct this is by bending each ray of light differently as it falls on each … Read More “Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Eyeballs” »

Confusing Self-Driving Cars by Altering Road Signs

Posted on By infossl
academicpapers, artificialintelligence, cars, Security technology

Researchers found that they could confuse the road sign detection algorithms of self-driving cars by adding stickers to the signs on the road. They could, for example, cause a car to think that a stop sign is a 45 mph speed limit sign. The changes are subtle, though — look at the photo from the … Read More “Confusing Self-Driving Cars by Altering Road Signs” »

Turning an Amazon Echo into an Eavesdropping Device

Posted on By infossl
amazon, eavesdropping, hacking, malware, physicalsecurity, Security technology

For once, the real story isn’t as bad as it seems. A researcher has figured out how to install malware onto an Echo that causes it to stream audio back to a remote controller, but: The technique requires gaining physical access to the target Echo, and it works only on devices sold before 2017. But … Read More “Turning an Amazon Echo into an Eavesdropping Device” »

Uber Drivers Hacking the System to Cause Surge Pricing

Posted on By infossl
cars, gametheory, hacking, Security technology, uber

Interesting story about Uber drivers who have figured out how to game the company’s algorithms to cause surge pricing: According to the study. drivers manipulate Uber’s algorithm by logging out of the app at the same time, making it think that there is a shortage of cars. […] The study said drivers have been coordinating … Read More “Uber Drivers Hacking the System to Cause Surge Pricing” »

Hacking Slot Machines by Reverse-Engineering the Random Number Generators

Posted on By infossl
gambling, hacking, randomnumbers, reverseengineering, Security technology

Interesting story: The venture is built on Alex’s talent for reverse engineering the algorithms — known as pseudorandom number generators, or PRNGs — that govern how slot machine games behave. Armed with this knowledge, he can predict when certain games are likeliest to spit out money­insight that he shares with a legion of field agents … Read More “Hacking Slot Machines by Reverse-Engineering the Random Number Generators” »