A Google scientist once told Dror Shalev that he shouldn’t be afraid of a toaster seeing him naked.
A security expert demonstrates how even a kitchen appliance can be used for hacking into networks
A Google scientist once told Dror Shalev that he shouldn’t be afraid of a toaster seeing him naked. This was to assure Shalev, an Israeli computer security expert, that home devices wouldn’t turn against us.
Not convinced by the argument, Shalev proceeded to build a ‘crazy toaster’ to demonstrate the security hazards in networks that have home devices connected to them. The 35-year-old who was in Pune recently, modified a regular toaster by fitting it with some computing parts and developed a programme that allowed the device to hack into networks.
Internet-enabled smart devices like game media centre PCs, game consoles, cameras and mobile phones have started flooding the market. They range from standard computing equipment to kitchen appliances and home entertainment systems.
According to Rohit Srivastwa, a security expert, “A malicious-code-infected gaming console or phone, when connected in network, may hack your computer and you would not even know about it.”
The idea behind the Crazy Toaster was to demonstrate the threat posed by Trojan devices, and conduct research about networks that connect appliances.
Shalev realised that some protocols allow attackers to connect seamlessly to home devices.
“The toaster demonstrates security hazards in the UPnP (Universal Plung and Play) implementation on XP and Vista systems,” Shalev said.
What enhances the risk is the fact that there is no need to physically connect the toaster to the network. “This device can easily connect to the LAN using wireless connectivity,” Shalev said. So, for example, in order to hack a network, you can carry the crazy toaster in your car and hack any home network with it.
Shalev feels the crazy toaster has an important role to play in educating people as more and more homes and offices get fitted with smart devices.
“Technology is about to replace the trust model we use today,” said Shalev. “We don’t always trust human beings, but our dependence on technology combined with lack of knowledge has meant that most of us are not as careful with these devices.”
Srivastwa says that putting a toaster is a vague idea but it ably demonstrates the security hazard. “You can end up using ‘crazy phone’, ‘crazy fridge’ or a ‘crazy gamebox’ and use it for malicious purposes,” he said.
So what precautions can we take to make our networks more secure?
Shalev says we should avoid installing home appliances on cheap hardware, to begin with, as it opens the door for the “bad guys”. ”In these times, you should trust no one, including the hardware and software vendors, and avoid free gifts. So if someone is gifting you an appliance or some software, you need to be extra careful.”
There’s one problem with the crazy toaster though. It can’t toast bread as that tends to overheat its processor.
k_dhananjay@dnaindia.net
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