9 ms·
Great article, the most interesting part of which is that you can lock your self out of your toothbrush head after three wrong password attempts. I didn't dig i
by mikestew 3y ago
Great article, the most interesting part of which is that you can lock your self out of your toothbrush head after three wrong password attempts. I didn't dig into the data sheet for the NFC chip very deeply, but I imagine that it's just the default that the chip ships with. Or maybe Philips really wants that $25 for a new toothbrush head. :-)
EDIT: nope, not the default. From the data sheet, last sentence:
"To prevent brute-force attacks on the password, the maximum allowed number of negative password verification attempts can be set using AUTHLIM. This mechanism is disabled by setting AUTHLIM to a value of 000b, which is also the initial state of NTAG21x."
So Philips went out of their way to secure that toothbrush head. That's reassuring.
- HarHarVeryFunny 3y agoMaybe time to boycott Philips for their woke enforcing of 3-month toothbrush replacement, and closed-source toothbrushes! (just kidding)
- james-redwood 3y agoNext up: 2FA for your toothbrush
- qingcharles 3y agoWelcome Time Travellers! This is 2023 where you can find yourself locked out of your toothbrush after too many failed password attempts.
- BLKNSLVR 3y ago"Unauthorised Bread" https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-...
- parpfish 3y agoI hope that this is a warning to time travelers from the past and not a friendly welcome to time travelers from the future that are looking back on simpler times.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y agoI’m not sure of OP’s intentions but in practical terms everyone who read that is a time traveller from the past.
- dumpsterdiver 3y agoEven with such a toothbrush "lockout", criminals could still go on to put other people's toothbrushes in their mouths. This type of deviant behavior came to a screeching halt when Crest released their breath-activated toothbrush defense system (BATDS) in 2028. BATDS enabled devices deliver a non-lethal shock to the perpetrator, rendering them unconscious. While BATDS was immediately deemed illegal in most countries due to disputed claims that it caused significant brain damage throughout a large control group, it remains popular in single family households in the US.
- aceazzameen 3y agoGuess we'll have to brute force clean our teeth by moving the locked toothbrush up and down, side to side, and in circular motions.
- sirsinsalot 3y agoHeathen!
- userbinator 3y agoThat might be a violation of the EULA. (I'm just kidding. I hope...)
- boosteri 3y agoWill just squirt some ink into your mouth upon detecting such abuse and violation of ToS
- psychphysic 3y agoTOOTHBRUSH LOCKED. DRINK CAN TO UNLOCK https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_a_verification_can/ https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_...
- robertlagrant 3y agoThis made me laugh. Even before clicking the link.
- PietdeVries 3y agoI might have misinterpreted the article, but I imagine that if the NFC tag on the brush locks out, the handset is no longer able to write new data to it (no 'brush seconds' can be added to the counter). This suggests to me that the handset will not start blinking and reminding you that you need a new brush, but will be happy to brush to infinity. I cannot imagine that the handset will refuse to brush if it can't write to the brush...
- matteoraso 3y agoAnd for literally no improvement or benefit over normal toothbrushes.
- ballenf 3y agoFor Philips' sake, I hope no one wanders the toothbrush aisle of a retailer having forgotten to turn off the password brute forcer.
- arrowsmith 3y agoHow long's it going to be before "smart" toothbrushes become the only option? Should I start stockpiling "dumb" toothbrushes now while I still can? The other day I was trying to buy a pair of bathroom scales and it took me far too long to find one that just, you know, weighed things without also demanding I connect it to the Wi-Fi and download a smartphone app. How is this an improvement?
- humanistbot 3y agoIt isn't that hard at all. I'm calling BS, because it seems like you're exaggerating to make a point that would be big, if true. Except it isn't true. First, I've owned several wireless connected bathroom scales from high-end to low-end brands. All of them work out of the box without needing or demanding you connect it to Wi-Fi and download an app. Put in batteries, step on scale, and weight is displayed. If you want to use an app, that feature is available, but definitely not mandatory, and I've never seen the device prompt to install an app. One had a removable sticker that advertised the app with a QR download code. Second, it took me less than 5 seconds to find a non-connected bathroom scale, if you care about that. Maybe I'll assume good faith here, you may be shopping at a super high-end retail shop, or an electronics store that also sells appliances, or an online megaretailer that knows you're into tech and is recommending you smart devices? But when I search for "bathroom scale" on amazon, target, walmart, or home depot, the first result is a basic digital scale that has no connected features. Same when I look at what is in stock in stores where I live in San Francisco. If there is a place where retailers would think they only need to stock connected bathroom scales, that would be the place. Nope, plenty of non-connected scales that only need a single button CR battery.
- arrowsmith 3y agoChrist, I make an offhand comment about a trivially minor frustration I had a few months ago and I come back to find that I've summoned the Spanish Inquisition. I never claimed that it's impossible to buy a non-connected set of bathroom scales; all I said was that it took me "far too long" - by which I mean I wasted maybe five to ten minutes deciding which bathroom scales to buy because the first few ones I looked at turned out to be overengineered piles of Wifi/smartphone-ready bullshit that I didn't want. Looking on Amazon UK now, I see several "non-connected" scales in the search results, so I'm not sure why I found it so difficult last time, but my memories are what they are. This is, of course, as trivial of a first-world problem as they possibly come, but it felt vaguely relevant to the current discussion, and it's part of a general trend in consumer electronics that I constantly see people on HN complaining about. Sorry you found it so offensive.
- quijoteuniv 3y agoI guess the shortage of chips did not affect the toothbrush industry.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- psychphysic 3y agoI agree the lock out is most interesting. I think a better write up would have front loaded that aspect. Even titling it "How I locked myself out of my smart brush" or similar. If he wanted to be creative it could have had a Film Noir start but even in a technical write up you should start with interesting aspects.
- Tepix 3y agoBut what happens after you've been locked out? Can you still brush your teeth with the toothbrush?
- tivi 3y agoIt will switch to tooth breaker mode. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnusualVideos/comments/13uv1ym/forrent_bike_abruptly_locks_because_riders/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UnusualVideos/comments/13uv1ym/forr...
- devoutsalsa 3y agoLock Picking Lawyer: “this will be my first attempt to toothpick a lock. Using the tool that Flossnian Bill and I made…”
- luma 3y agoWouldn't this open them to an DoS attack? Set your flipper to fire off bad password attempts at the store and now the entire aisle of toothbrush heads are silently disabled.
- wil421 3y agoSounds like something I heard about way back. Using a CRT degausser or other device to erase a Blockbuster store’s VHS tapes.
- Freak_NL 3y agoIt wouldn't happen often enough for that to matter in the risk calculation.
- trafficante 3y agoIt’s 5-something in the morning and I can’t stop laughing at the mental image of some guy cackling maniacally in the toiletry aisle while DoSing toothbrushes. The absolute personification of Chaotic Neutral
- alexsereno 3y agoIt’s such a funny idea, comic book villainous. Fear the Toothbrush Terrorist!
- PebblesRox 3y agoDr. Doofenshmirtz would definitely do this.