6 ms·

Whatever device I buy I want it to be hackable, medical devices included.

by qwerty456127 8y ago

rbanffy 8y ago
I want them hackable by me and hardened to anyone else.
- bluGill 8y ago
  I was nodding in agreement for a few seconds. Then I realized I'm not perfect. If I hack my own device I'm going to make a mistake and kill myself. Since that isn't a desired goal I don't want to be tempted. I want the device to be perfect so I don't have to think about it. Some devices should just work and not be thought of. (I include the refrigerator in this group)
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    It depends on the device. My company produces pacemakers and neuromodulation devices. I wouldn't want to hack the pacemaker but if I had a neuromodulation device I would totally hack it.
  - marcosdumay 8y ago
    If it's a concern, just don't hack it. Why would you be tempted?
    - bluGill 8y ago
      If I can do it someone else can - potentially without my permission.
      - swebs 8y ago
        >I want them hackable by me and hardened to anyone else.
      - microcolonel 8y ago
        Destroy your key. Just because you're afraid of your own shadow doesn't mean that the legitimate and necessary modifications described in the harrowing accounts in these threads should be prevented for all device customers because of your lack of trust in yourself.
  - ComputerGuru 8y ago
    > I want the device to be perfect so I don't have to think about it. Some devices should just work and not be thought of. (I include the refrigerator in this group) Yes, but you are speaking in ideals. In the real world, that is incredibly rarely the case. So the choice is between a locked-down, heavily imperfect device or an open one that comes with that risk, caveat emptor.
vertexFarm 8y ago
When an article such as this mentions hacking, they don't mean your version of hacking. They mean the spooky news definition of hacking where there's a stock photo of a guy wearing a hoodie (and a balaclava for some reason??) typing on a laptop with a glowing green matrix waterfall on the screen. They mean there's no precaution taken whatsoever against malicious access, which is certainly a bad thing. Even the most radical FOSS guy who built his own phone out of spare parts and has a bumper sticker which reads "my other computer is your computer" is going to put a password on it. There are pacemakers out there using NFC or some similar tech to talk to an external processor and battery pack. I bet the security on those is utterly tragic. The relevant regulatory bodies are absolutely not going to do a damn thing about it until there's a body count--of that much I am 100% certain. Murder via medical device malware sounds like the plot of a rejected Gibsonian short story, but stuff like that will happen in our world. Somebody is eventually going to think that might be just the way to off grandpa so they can hurry up and get that inheritance.
JDWolf 8y ago
Could there be a key model where you could unlock access and then control via chosen (hopefully reliable) software?

Whatever device I buy I want it to be hackable, medical devices included.

rbanffy 8y ago

I want them hackable by me and hardened to anyone else.

bluGill 8y ago
I was nodding in agreement for a few seconds. Then I realized I'm not perfect. If I hack my own device I'm going to make a mistake and kill myself. Since that isn't a desired goal I don't want to be tempted. I want the device to be perfect so I don't have to think about it. Some devices should just work and not be thought of. (I include the refrigerator in this group)
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  It depends on the device. My company produces pacemakers and neuromodulation devices. I wouldn't want to hack the pacemaker but if I had a neuromodulation device I would totally hack it.
- marcosdumay 8y ago
  If it's a concern, just don't hack it. Why would you be tempted?
  - bluGill 8y ago
    If I can do it someone else can - potentially without my permission.
    - swebs 8y ago
      >I want them hackable by me and hardened to anyone else.
    - microcolonel 8y ago
      Destroy your key. Just because you're afraid of your own shadow doesn't mean that the legitimate and necessary modifications described in the harrowing accounts in these threads should be prevented for all device customers because of your lack of trust in yourself.
- ComputerGuru 8y ago
  > I want the device to be perfect so I don't have to think about it. Some devices should just work and not be thought of. (I include the refrigerator in this group) Yes, but you are speaking in ideals. In the real world, that is incredibly rarely the case. So the choice is between a locked-down, heavily imperfect device or an open one that comes with that risk, caveat emptor.

vertexFarm 8y ago

When an article such as this mentions hacking, they don't mean your version of hacking. They mean the spooky news definition of hacking where there's a stock photo of a guy wearing a hoodie (and a balaclava for some reason??) typing on a laptop with a glowing green matrix waterfall on the screen. They mean there's no precaution taken whatsoever against malicious access, which is certainly a bad thing. Even the most radical FOSS guy who built his own phone out of spare parts and has a bumper sticker which reads "my other computer is your computer" is going to put a password on it. There are pacemakers out there using NFC or some similar tech to talk to an external processor and battery pack. I bet the security on those is utterly tragic. The relevant regulatory bodies are absolutely not going to do a damn thing about it until there's a body count--of that much I am 100% certain. Murder via medical device malware sounds like the plot of a rejected Gibsonian short story, but stuff like that will happen in our world. Somebody is eventually going to think that might be just the way to off grandpa so they can hurry up and get that inheritance.

JDWolf 8y ago

Could there be a key model where you could unlock access and then control via chosen (hopefully reliable) software?