AMX and other automation systems.
I was recently looking over a newly installed $20,000 home automation system when I noticed that encryption in the transmissions was not enabled when the installer set the system up initially.
This is not good for several reasons:
1) The LCD slate seems to be running on the 802.11 protocol, and as it has live access to Internet feeds, obviously seems to have TCP/IP running in it, if not tunneled into through a host.
2) The system controls not only home audio/video systems, sprinklers, heating, lighting and other cool things, it also controls the home's security system.
3) The signal can be used as far as the woods across the street from the house.
'When your powers combine, I am Captain Hax0r.'
It seems to me to be a very bad idea for one to be running any sort of home security on WiFi in the first place, as this leaves the system vulnerable to packet sniffing, but leaving it unencrypted is sheer stupidity.
Now, given that most systems of this sort would seem to be highly proprietary, it would seem as if the chances of a ne'r-do-well happening to have the equipment to just unlock the front door with the automated controls would be very slim, as this equipment is very expensive to start with.
However, if one is to note the system seems to be running on 802.11, obviously with TCP/IP, it would occur to the thinkee that you could sniff the transmitted packets for say, 12 hours, then analyze them and could script something up to send false packets to the central unit containing illicit instructions, such as "Turn off downstairs lights at 1:00 AM, Turn off downstairs motion sensors, Unlock doors."
The obvious use of this is burglary. One could simply walk down the street with a Tablet computer unlocking people's homes at will, taking what they wish and leaving. No "breaking and entering" for them.
But this task is made even easier as it seems there is a large market for home automation systems, and one company offers a free edition of their multi-platform software to take control of home automation from pc via LAN. Even if the signal was encrypted, you can bet your bottom dollar it wouldn't be more than WEP "protection", easily cracked in an hour or less, depending on the knowledge of the owner.
I could simply waltz to this house at 3 AM with my trusty Acer TravelMate C100 tablet, turn on the WiFi card, fire up the nifty software treat, and have my way with their most treasured belongings.
Lucky for the homeowners, I have a pretty White Hat perched atop my head and I informed them of the situation, so I'm researching how to secure the systems to prevent this.
It's chilling to me how something so simple could have been left unchecked, when so much is at stake.
This is not good for several reasons:
1) The LCD slate seems to be running on the 802.11 protocol, and as it has live access to Internet feeds, obviously seems to have TCP/IP running in it, if not tunneled into through a host.
2) The system controls not only home audio/video systems, sprinklers, heating, lighting and other cool things, it also controls the home's security system.
3) The signal can be used as far as the woods across the street from the house.
'When your powers combine, I am Captain Hax0r.'
It seems to me to be a very bad idea for one to be running any sort of home security on WiFi in the first place, as this leaves the system vulnerable to packet sniffing, but leaving it unencrypted is sheer stupidity.
Now, given that most systems of this sort would seem to be highly proprietary, it would seem as if the chances of a ne'r-do-well happening to have the equipment to just unlock the front door with the automated controls would be very slim, as this equipment is very expensive to start with.
However, if one is to note the system seems to be running on 802.11, obviously with TCP/IP, it would occur to the thinkee that you could sniff the transmitted packets for say, 12 hours, then analyze them and could script something up to send false packets to the central unit containing illicit instructions, such as "Turn off downstairs lights at 1:00 AM, Turn off downstairs motion sensors, Unlock doors."
The obvious use of this is burglary. One could simply walk down the street with a Tablet computer unlocking people's homes at will, taking what they wish and leaving. No "breaking and entering" for them.
But this task is made even easier as it seems there is a large market for home automation systems, and one company offers a free edition of their multi-platform software to take control of home automation from pc via LAN. Even if the signal was encrypted, you can bet your bottom dollar it wouldn't be more than WEP "protection", easily cracked in an hour or less, depending on the knowledge of the owner.
I could simply waltz to this house at 3 AM with my trusty Acer TravelMate C100 tablet, turn on the WiFi card, fire up the nifty software treat, and have my way with their most treasured belongings.
Lucky for the homeowners, I have a pretty White Hat perched atop my head and I informed them of the situation, so I'm researching how to secure the systems to prevent this.
It's chilling to me how something so simple could have been left unchecked, when so much is at stake.
posted by DarthBong at 2:22 AM
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