3 ms·
I keep waiting for someone to accidentally discover something in networking hardware that shuts down/shits itself when it gets some specific VLF signal, with it
by ryanmercer 8y ago
I keep waiting for someone to accidentally discover something in networking hardware that shuts down/shits itself when it gets some specific VLF signal, with it baked right into an IC.
Example: Hostile satellite broadcasts VLF signal, the compromised hardware is always sitting there listening for a specific command with a hybrid IC that does both its expected job and acts as a radio receiver for a very specific signal or signals with code that gets activated when a specific match is detected. VLF is used by submarines to get small amounts of data out from deep underwater, would pass through buildings with ease. Code triggers chip to stop its intended purpose or to run some other code. Even with a few % of networking hardware compromised you'd create a massive disruption that could bring the internet to a grind leading up to an invasion.
You could have the same hybrid chip in traditional telephony hardware, cellular telephony hardware, civilian GPS units, power industry hardware, vehicles. It's not unplausible, in fact, counterfeit chips have already been found time and time again in hardware, polluting a supply intended for sale in the U.S. at one or more Chinese factories would be trivial for the Chinese government for example.
Even just sending a signal to cheap IoT devices or those cody streaming devices all over the internet, at gun shows, at fairs, at flea markets and you could instantly turn on some massive army that starts randomly pinging specific IP addresses or just random sets of IP addresses to just bog down the internet.
People worry about the software, I worry about the ICs themselves.