Hacking a 'Smart' Sniper Rifle 73
An anonymous reader writes: It was inevitable: as soon as we heard about computer-aimed rifles, we knew somebody would find a way to compromise their security. At the upcoming Black Hat security conference, researchers Runa Sandvik and Michael Auger will present their techniques for doing just that. "Their tricks can change variables in the scope's calculations that make the rifle inexplicably miss its target, permanently disable the scope's computer, or even prevent the gun from firing." In one demonstration they were able to tweak the rifle's ballistic calculations by making it think a piece of ammunition weighed 72 lbs instead of 0.4 ounces. After changing this value, the gun tried to automatically adjust for the weight, and shot significantly to the left. Fortunately, they couldn't find a way to make the gun fire without physically pulling the trigger.
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Was kind of thinking the same thing, actually... I'm pretty sure** that no one would be stupid enough to have the thing accessible over wireless, which leaves you the task of actually sneaking up on the damned thing to reprogram it. At that point it becomes a physical access problem.
** not perfectly sure mind you, but it counts as a fair no-brainer.
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...and TFA says it's accessible over WiFi.
I think I know what would get disabled first on the damned thing if I owned it...
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Consider though that it's *Likely* that users of these firearms will be turning on wifi as one of the key features is to be able to have a spotter seeing what what the shooter sees via ipad connected with wifi.
The good news is that most of these layman shooters are just hunters that are not really hacker targets by anyone except PETA. Though it's still concerning that in military/LEO applications the vulnerability is at least in latent existence.
The other good news is that this sounds like a GREAT plot dev
Re:WiFi? (Score:4, Informative)
The WiFi is there primarily for remote viewing capability. As in someone with a tablet (iPad, Android, whatever) can view the video from the rifle as the gunman uses it. They'll get access to the positioning and tilt of the gun on all the axis as well as what target is marked and what it's tracking.
It's also one of the newfangled "smart" guns in that the user has to wear a special ring in order for it to fire.
Also, the computer can only inhibit it's firing, it can't fire on its own. It's why once it's tracking a target, it calculates the necessary positioning to get a hit on the target once you squeeze the trigger (and wear the right ring).
The goal is to turn basically anyone into a marksman.
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You're saying that connecting to a WiFi setup that has a default password, that is not on by default, which is not actually marketed as a "sniper" rifle (and all of the military connotations that go with it), to change a setting that will do nothing but adjust a calibration that may cause a hunter to miss slightly, is "hacking"? Oh, forgive me, oh mighty so-and-so...!
No - that's not what I'm saying, I'm saying I read the referenced article. Clearly you didn't or you wouldn't be talking such wank. Try reading what they actually did - hint they didn't make use of existing capabilities - they found a flaw and exploited it to achieve a desired outcome by an unconventional method. The "person" I was responding to (you?) probably believes putting a fork in a power socket is a hack.
And no, you're not forgiven for being an arseclown. You can go back to moderating down anything
Not that impresssed (Score:1)
What they are saying is: If you reprogram a computer, you can get it do to the wrong thing!
I could mess up any computer by going through the config files or even recompiling binaries to intentionally break stuff.
It gets more interesting if they could show how to do this remotely on a real battlefield instead of just taking a device and acting all shocked that it behaves differently when reprogrammed.
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From TFA: "When the Wi-Fi is on, the gun’s network has a default password that allows anyone within Wi-Fi range to connect to it. From there, a hacker can treat the gun as a server and access APIs to alter key variables in its targeting application. (The hacker pair were only able to find those changeable variables by dissecting one of their two rifles and using an eMMC reader to copy data from the computer’s flash storage with wires they clipped onto its circuit board pins.)"
So, it's a remote e
Fire without physically pulling the trigger (Score:4, Funny)
Every redneck knows how: Just clean it.
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Hrm... none of my guns have gone off with out having a booger hook on the bang bang lever... but then, I don't own a Remington 700 http://www.upi.com/Business_Ne... [upi.com]
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Every redneck knows how: Just clean it.
Actually, the Japanese Nambu Type 94 pistol used in WWII had a very serious mechanical defect that allowed it to fire without pulling the trigger. Pressure on a certain part on the side of the firearm would cause it to fire. Not a good souvenir for a GI to stuff into a pocket.
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Every redneck knows how: Just clean it.
Only fools try to clean or work on their weapon without unloading it.
This.
Further, even after you've unloaded it you should still obey the golden rule of gun safety: never point it at anything you don't want to destroy. If what you're doing requires breaking that rule, first disassemble it so it's no longer a gun. Then, and only then, can you stop worrying about where you're pointing it.
The reason for this is that most people who hurt themselves or others while cleaning their gun *did* unload it first. Or thought they did.
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Doesn't matter any more (Score:2)
The company filed bankruptcy a few months ago. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets... [arstechnica.com]
Incomplete (Score:2)
From your link:
"he expectation from a number of different sites is that TrackingPoint will soon be filing for bankruptcy."
Did they? Nothing seems to say they actually did, The homepage doesn't say anything about not taking orders...
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Yeah, it doesn't quite jibe with the expensive booth they had at the SHOT Show this year.
What a disingenuous douchebag (Score:2)
He also pointed out that the Wi-Fi range of the hack would limit its real-world use. âoeItâ(TM)s highly unlikely when a hunter is on a ranch in Texas, or on the plains of the Serengeti in Africa, that thereâ(TM)s a Wi-Fi internet connection,â he says. âoeThe probability of someone hiding nearby in the bush in Tanzania are very low.â
High-gain directional antenna what what? They've got hills in Texas, too, little-known fact.
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And how are you contributing to that 'reasonable discussion'? Hmmmm?
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Anyone who ever says "we are incapable of having a reasonable discussion on X" really means "everyone doesn't just accept my opinion on X as gospel, poor me".
Re:Hack it to only shoot kids (Score:4, Insightful)
because in Murica we are incapable of having reasonable discussion regarding guns.
"Reasonable discussion" usually just means "my ideas are reasonable, and yours aren't, and as long as you're disagreeing with my ideas, you're being unreasonable."
prevent the gun from firing (Score:1)
This would be ideal! If we prevent all the guns from firing, no more war! Any technology that could neutralize all weapons would be most welcome.
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Yeah, it makes things a bit more personal, doesn't it? And such a world war would be quite the spectacle...
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Yes, today's wars are so much more palatable, aren't they? Yeah, as long as it stays off shore, no problem.
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Yes, they are...
Yeah, from a basement command and control room in Nevada, sure! And seeing pretty pictures on the TeeVee... It's all Nintendo to you! Bleh! I'm feeding a troll...
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No, it's not Nintendo to me. Nor is it Nintendo to drone pilots. That's a bullshit myth that "everyone knows" but isn't actually true in the slightest.
Today's wars (at least as waged by most developed countries) are in fact far more palatable than the wars of the past. You'd know that if you did some research into how wars were fought historically.
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Tell me all about it after you been there. I don't pretend to know. You shouldn't either. Your comprehension of such things is sorely lacking.
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I only relay what people who have been tell me. Believe what you want. Just don't think you can ever convince me that war is any less savage it has always been. Only a basement dweller would actually believe it.
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Bla bla bla. I give witnesses. You give me wikipedia.
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I give up! You win!
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It takes a while but you do eventually give up arguing your stupidities...
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Yes, you're right! Arguing against war is pretty stupid, isn't it? It's all so nice and neat now. I guess keeping all those nasty pictures off the TV made a difference. Thank you for reminding me. I'll try to stop. I didn't mean to offend anyone's fantasies. So, please, if it makes you feel better go out and tell the world what a fool I am.
*amazing*
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Arguing against war isn't stupidity.
Claiming that war begins & ends with guns as you have is rank ignorance and outright idiocy.
You are yet again amazed by the insights of everyone who, unlike you, is able to learn from history... Another sign confirming that you are unable to see beyond your prejudices.
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Uh huh... Maybe you should take a gander at the original post...
my prejudices.. like yours are so well hidden, only from yourself maybe.
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This would be ideal! If we prevent all the guns from firing, no more war!
You're a blithering idiot who claimed that guns == war and now trying to backpedal. My prejudices are against blithering idiots.
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:-) I think you're leaving out the symmetry thingy I brought up. Ah well... doesn't matter anymore, I've forgotten, myself. Anyway, thanks for the climatic money shot. If you want to keep at it, knock yourself out.
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It claims it thinks... Experience tells us that this is false. What symmetry? "Any technology that could neutralize all weapons would be most welcome."?
As the AC correctly stated, "We were punching people in the face long before we ever hit them with a stick or throw a rock at them. We will still be punching people in the face long after all the lasers, nukes, mines, grenades, and bullets are gone."
Again, you're blithering, the only way to stop humankind from using aggression is to kill us all off.
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:-) You're the man.
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Aaaannnnd he at last comes back into contact with the reality everyone shares instead of building more ever more elaborate pipe dreams...
I'll stick with dumb guns, thanks! (Score:2)
Relevant GITS (Score:3)
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Best line is the last line (Score:2)
“There’s a message here for TrackingPoint and other companieswhen you put technology on items that haven’t had it before, you run into security challenges you haven’t thought about before.”
They waited till the end of the article to put the most important part? "If you ware going to hook something up to any network you might want to at least think about security"
The problem with hacking a sniper rifle (Score:2)
I suppose if you see someone planning to shoot a third party you might manage to hack their rifle, but there's several ways to interfere with sniping if you can manage to be behind the sniper.