2 ms·

Interesting, do you have a link or remember an instance of this?

mdp2021 4y ago
There have been reminders on The Conversation only a few months ago ( https://theconversation.com/considering-buying-a-smart-device-to-protect-your-security-ask-yourself-these-five-questions-176331 https://theconversation.com/considering-buying-a-smart-devic... ), but here is a generic article on The Atlantic from 2016 - year relevant, because there had been cases of actual ransomware for some thermostat models then: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/the-extortionist-in-the-fridge/422742/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/the-e... Which also contains the line: > When it comes to connected vehicles, the possibilities are even more frightening. And thanks to an experiment where white-hat hackers remotely hijacked a Jeep as it hurtled down a St. Louis highway, they’re not that far-fetched http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/ http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-high... Which raises another point: security faults in cars have been used to stop them, to take control of them etc. Among the malicious purposes, one can emerge of ransom: "We now control your car. If you want to drive it again...". Nothing new in the crime scene ("We just stole your car. If you want to drive it again...") - only, now through fully avoidable technical holes which should not be there in the first place. -- About the thermostats: Hackers demonstrated first ransomware for IoT thermostats at DEF CON // Ransomware-infected smart thermostats, it's no longer hypothetical. An attacker could crank up the heat and lock the IoT device until sweltering occupants paid a ransom to unlock it (Aug 2016) https://www.computerworld.com/article/3105001/hackers-demonstrated-first-ransomware-for-iot-thermostats-at-def-con.html https://www.computerworld.com/article/3105001/hackers-demons...

mdp2021 4y ago

There have been reminders on The Conversation only a few months ago ( https://theconversation.com/considering-buying-a-smart-device-to-protect-your-security-ask-yourself-these-five-questions-176331 https://theconversation.com/considering-buying-a-smart-devic... ), but here is a generic article on The Atlantic from 2016 - year relevant, because there had been cases of actual ransomware for some thermostat models then: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/the-extortionist-in-the-fridge/422742/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/the-e... Which also contains the line: > When it comes to connected vehicles, the possibilities are even more frightening. And thanks to an experiment where white-hat hackers remotely hijacked a Jeep as it hurtled down a St. Louis highway, they’re not that far-fetched http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/ http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-high... Which raises another point: security faults in cars have been used to stop them, to take control of them etc. Among the malicious purposes, one can emerge of ransom: "We now control your car. If you want to drive it again...". Nothing new in the crime scene ("We just stole your car. If you want to drive it again...") - only, now through fully avoidable technical holes which should not be there in the first place. -- About the thermostats: Hackers demonstrated first ransomware for IoT thermostats at DEF CON // Ransomware-infected smart thermostats, it's no longer hypothetical. An attacker could crank up the heat and lock the IoT device until sweltering occupants paid a ransom to unlock it (Aug 2016) https://www.computerworld.com/article/3105001/hackers-demonstrated-first-ransomware-for-iot-thermostats-at-def-con.html https://www.computerworld.com/article/3105001/hackers-demons...