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Ready, Aim, HACK!
KD5YPT writes "According to a story on Wired, Adam Laurie and Martin Herfurt demonstrated that they can hack a Bluetooth enabled phone from up to a mile away using a sniper rifle with yagi antenna. Kinda gives a new meaning to '1337 hAx0r2'."
to use this same setup to look down into a city and pick up individual wireless networks.
War Sniping?
up 12 days, 22:30, 2 users, load averages: 993.20, 994.21, 994.56
*makes note to limit user processes...
... or something to make it look like a toy. They're going to have real guns pointed at them if they keep carrying that around, and I'd say anyone that shoots back would be entirely justified.
That's why you should turn bluetooth off when you're not using it.
Is there really any need to have bluetooth turned on all the time? I would think that it just wastes batteries.
To understand recursion,
you must first understand recursion.
If deployed in the field, special ops soldiers can approach a terrorist safehouse, and activate this device to hack into any cell phone that may be vulnerable. Then they could simply listen in on the safehouse without ever being even 500 feet away, and can discern their movement if necessary.
All this translates into being able not to tip off the bad guys that you are coming, and still able to glean important intel.
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
Where there's a will, there is a way. This is similar to the spam issue. Many arguethat spam would be reduced adn sys admins would have an easier life if curious people did not impulsively click on evrey ad that they see, nor respond to every question about income or dick size that landed in your email.
In the caseof bluetooth, people need to realize that these are phones, not safes with locks. tThe average person takes data security for granted, because they don't understand or care to consider the functionality of the device or the technology they are carrying. "If it's in my pocket, it's safe." BS. If you can send signals with it, it can receive signals. Similarly, if you park your car for three days with the driver side door open, most likely it will not be there when you come back (Unless you live on an island where yours is one of five cars, easily recoverable). Getsmart people!
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I don't know about that. If you design and place a very powerful 2.4GHz emitter so it goes right up their Yagi, then I bet you could damage the receiver electronics of the bluetooth device they're using.
Kind of like sticking a carrot in the gun barrel and letting them blow it up themselves.
At least these are active attacks - you should be able to honeypot it very easily, or at the minimum detect attacks, and jam them if needed.
-Adam
I'd think a pringles or coke can would be a bit less conspicuous..
On the other hand you know those security video cameras used in public places which can be remote controlled to rotate and zoom in on someone's face? They are usually hidden in smoked glass domes in ceiling or, I suppose, in less conspicuous ways in places like casinos or board rooms. Sounds like another good aiming device, I saw one $500 dollar model in Akihabara recently you can operate from a web page. Same shop for a few hundred bucks also sold remote cameras accessible via UHF.
I'd be worried if I carried anything with Bluetooth (so far I've resisted..) The more it penetrates it seems the more tiny yagi antennas you'll see. Only saving grace I could imagine is if the yagi antenna is left powered up maybe you could detect it as the camera pans across you... IANA EM Engineer but would not a yagi antenna also transmit towards you any noise from say the video camera's motor or power supply? If so a detector might be in order..
Slightly modified ENG (electronic news gathering) camera ... sits on your shoulder. Antenna is concealed in what "appears" to be a long-range microphone on the side. Video provides record of user's reaction to phone modifications.
Of course, you have to realize that walking around with an ENG camera on your shoulder doesn't actually let you blend in ANYWHERE, but it DOES fit within the requirements posted above.
For hunters safety class, you're told to carry binoculars. Sure there's a scope on your rifle, but most things (also read: people) that you want to see up close also run the risk of getting shot.
You get a different vibe when someone is "just looking" at you with binoculars than with a rifle scope. Also, the environment you're in (hunting season) means that the person you'd be aiming at ALSO has a decent weapon and would be very interested in observing you in the same manner. The person reacting would also be more likely to want to "feel safer" while looking.
The picture in the article: he looks like he's holding a chainsaw or a seriously bayonetted rifle. Basically, it LOOKS dangerous.
Point that thing at someone's head (it's for cell phones - right?) and you're ASKING for trouble.
As for painting it bright colors: it would be better to just use a less threatening design - an orange weapon is still a weapon.
This is not my sig.
You're right, they might shoot first and ask questions later.
Any moron who actually does this in public deserves the Darwin award they get.
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A funny old guy at my work told me a story that reminds me of this a lot.
I guess when he was young, President Truman came through town. I'm not exactly sure of his motives but he probably didn't have access to a TV at this time. Anyway.... When the president's motorcaid got within reasonable distance from his house he grabbed his dads rifle and ran up to the roof of the house. He then proceeded to point the rifle at the president as his car passed by serval blocks away. Of couse his intention was to look through the high magnification scope to get close glimspe of the president. He lived in Independence Missiouri, Truman's home town. It seems like a stupid thing to do, but apparently the idea of seeing such a hometown hero was more than enough to blur his judgement.
Its funny how things with very innocent intention can be viewed as something totally different. Its also scary to think what might happen if a kid tried something like this today.
Grrrrr... don't bother me, I'm thinking.