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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'."
Now all the people that hack Counter-Strike will be out on the streets with Snipers hacking Bluetooth devices, leaving CS hack-free. Thank god.
I'm not impressed. If you really want to impress me, use a Cap'n Crunch whistle over a Bluetooth-enabled phone to switch your neighbor's TV to the Spice channel with the volume up to 50.
Fun.
It would be cool if it didn't suck.
Kinda gives a new meaning to '1337 hAx0r2'.
What, so instead of "Fucking tool" it now will mean "Fucking tool who's in jail for aiming a sniper rifle at someone"?
Casual Games/Downloads
If I saw a guy pointing a gun at me from far away (or close), I wouldn't be worried about him taking my contacts out of my phone.
Now in real life too. Too bad you can't toss the occasional opportunistic grenade like in Half Life.
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
No more paying for those pricey 900 numbers... I'll just hack some poor schmuck's phone and whack o..err... talk for free.
Hey, guys. Big gulps, huh? Cool. All right! Well, see ya later.
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...
After I RTFA, I found that a sniper rifle was not used
The BlueSniper "rifle," created by John Hering and colleagues at Flexilis as a proof-of-concept device, resembles a rifle. It has a vision scope and a yagi antenna with a cable that runs to a Bluetooth-enabled laptop or PDA in a backpack.
...that you have to call the guy at the other end and ask him to stand very very still :)
... 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.
Uhm, no, not really. Not at all.
Why bother.
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.
What kind of time do these people have to try these kinds of ridiculous "tests?"
What else are they going to do with their time once they get kicked out of their parents basements?
Learn something new every day.
The BlueSniper "rifle," created by John Hering and colleagues at Flexilis as a proof-of-concept device, resembles a rifle.
How much does it resemble a rifle? People get shot here in NYC when wallets and candy bars get mistaken for weapons...
-- If god wanted me to have a sig, he'd have given me a sense of humor.
You're right, here are the pictures.
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Warning: Slashdot may contain traces of nuts.
The "rifle" design with a scope actually makes sense. If there's a moving target at a decent enough distance, all you have to do it keep them in the sights while you communicate with the device. Otherwise, a yagi on a stick without sights is probably a little harder to aim precisely, especially if your target is far away.
this is my sig
Was covered in brief on tomshardware in a post on /. yestarday
All spelling mistakes are due to solar flares...honest
It isn't a real sniper rifle It'd still make someone nervous if it was pointed at them I imagine . . .
Surviving the 21st century:
Pencil
Pocket knife
Pad of paper
Water bottle
&
Towel
BTW the Hitchhikers Guide is now considered a bad idea, as even it has proven to be hackable, particularly by those who consider themselves to be hoopy froods (though inaccurate entries may be inserted, and attempts to modify the operating system of all versions of the Guide result in the brief appearance of a hungry ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal, followed shortly by the departure of a not quite as hungry ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal.)
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
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.
It actually makes a lot of sense, no? The device resembles a rifle- not just out of some "cool" factor, but because use of the device requires aim, and the rifle form is suitable. It also has metaphorical relation to the rifle, in that it's a "weapon of attack", so to speak. Further, insofar as the attack is a long range attack from a concealed location, it makes a certain amount of sense to call it "sniping".
So, insofar as it lead to you believe people were firing bullets through a sniper rifle as a means to hack cell-phones, yes, it was misleading. However, I think it was only intended to draw the obvious metaphorical comparison between what these guys were doing and what a sniper does.
How much does it resemble a rifle?
From even a moderate distance, very closely. I think part of it is simply the stance, the way it's held. But it's also colored like a rifle, the same length as a rifle, and has a similar handle on one end. It's very convincing. Actually aiming the thing, and pointing it at somebody, would be more than enough to create some seriously panicked people.
Concept is cool, but anybody that uses this thing in public would be in serious danger of being shot by a SWAT team.
Punctanym: alternate spelling of words using punctuation or numerals in place of some or all of its letters; see 'leet'
...somebody tk'd them for hogging the AWP and being all sux0r with it.
www.HearMySoulSpeak.com
A telescope or transit tripod. You're going to be a little obvious pointing any object that looks like a rifle at someone only 50' away. Especially in an urban area. I would also imagine that the weight is more than it needs to be, since the stock and grip are designed to resist the kick. It still gets "cool points" in my book though. Parhaps it would work out better to build a directional antenna within a telescope or transit, so as to be a little more inconspicuous.
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"The BlueSniper rifle for capturing data from Bluetooth-enabled phones is constructed from a Choate Ruger Mini-14 stock, 14dbi semi-directional Yagi antenna, standard rifle scope, electrical tape, zip ties and cardboard."
They really should have used duct tape rather then electrical tape. It would have been much more Chic!
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Is there a psychological term related to getting your stories rejected on slashdot?
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
http://www.tomshardware.com/business/200408021/ima ges/bluesniper.jpg
Yagi si pretty much line of sight. Objects in the way cause a huge degradation in signal and aften make a unidirectional antenna better.
Also, with a yagi antenna you best be right on where you aim it. A feew degrees also causes a huge signal degridation.
This is yet another reason NOT to buy those stupid phones with 14 different features. Every time I buy a cell phone, I buy the cheapest one available, so it doesn't have all of this crap associated with it. I just want a cell phone that *works*. The last thing I want is a phone with so many useless features that it actually has *security* holes! That's insane. So if it comes to the point where the only phone I can get has this stupid Bluetooth stuff, then I have to worry about feds wiretapping me AND kids hacking in? Great. I'm going back to cans and string.
I wondered why my phone's display kept changing to "OMG PWN3D U FAG". I thought it was Verizon getting uppity.
It surprises me how retarded people on a technology site can be.
Do you avoid those stupid computers and just buy 4-function calculators to avoid all those viruses, trojans, spam and all the other crap associated with the internet and modern computing? I guess not.
If you look closely, people being hax0r3d are almost always the ones who don't understand what they're doing.
-Don't enable full read/write access to all files while using broadband without a firewall.
-Don't leave bluetooth enabled when not using it.
-Don't park your car with the keys in the ignition and the doors open.
If any of the above didn't seem blatantly obvious to you, you are ignorant about the technology involved. Any problems you have are your own fault and do not make the technology bad.
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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Some researchers found a way to completely destroy bluetooth-enabled cellphones from up to a mile away with a sniper rifle by failing to RTFA.
Wonder what their defense would be if they got caught pointing the rifle at someone.
Hopefully kevlar.
I thank you.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
I would be more worried about him taking the contacts out of my eyes!
emt 377 emt 4
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..
If you would run around with your bluetooth turned on and advertising itself, of course there's a risk. Lots of features on phones are silly, but bluetooth is genuinely useful. I sit at my PC at work, and my address book syncs with my phone while it's still in my pocket. When I'm listening to music from my computer on my headphones, I can make calls on my phone, and use my microphone and headphones as a headset. I already mentioned the networking.
Bag on polyphonic ringtones if you want, but bluetooth is an excellent technology.
Don't leave bluetooth enabled when not using it? Jesus christ... we're talking about a PHONE here? That's entirely too complicated. That's like saying that you should disconnect your computer from the Net when you're not using it. It's very simple... bluetooth is insecure, and is not used by probably 99% of people with cellphones. Thus, the smart thing to do is to avoid it like the plauge.
As I was reading the only thing I could think about was James Bond standing on top of a building and spying on someone's conversation using the Bluetooth rifle...now that is an awesome hack.
SIGFAULT
I could care less if you hack my BlueTooth phone.
:-[
If some asshat need in you arises that demands that you must listen in on a conversation with my wife as she bitches at me for buying ROMA TOMATOES instead of CHERRY TOMATOES (they're fucking red, for Christ's sake), you go right ahead.
And if it gets your lollies off to hear that, wait until she calls me to inform me that I, once again, forgot to let the dog shit before going to work. And I must clean up what ensued.
Yeah -- hack that. All you want.
IronChefMorimoto
The pic for this was posted on Tom's Hardware the other day. It was included in the article for DefCon.
Pictue and description of rifle here.
-= Who are The Headlocks? =-
In a related story, Las Vegas police department sharpshooters shot two men who they say were preparing to assassinate random pedestrians from an 11th floor window of the Aladdin Hotel. When the concept of the "Bluetooth rifle" was explained to the police spokesman, he said, and we quote, "what a pair of f***ing idiots." Since the pair was shot approximately 10,000 times by the nice policemen with *real* rifles, only splinters of the "Bluetooth rifle" remain. Film at 11.
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.
We used a high gain, 19dBi, panel antenna attached to a Linksys Class 1 Bluetooth adapter - picture.
Using this equipment, last week we transferred a few pictures from 3300 feet (1 km). This week we bluesnarfed from about 5300 feet (1.08 miles).
The whole point of these experiments is to show that Bluetooth can go a lot further than previously suspected. Witness the 55.1 mile link using 30 mw wifi.
Lack of details is because it's in Wired News. Look for a writeup on www.wifi-toys.com later today.
--
Carbolic
wifi-toys.com
bluedriving.com
Yeah, but all I want my phone to do is store numbers and call numbers. Seriously. I'll get a seperate PDA for the rest of the crap. And no f'ing way I want a camera on there either. If I wanted a camera, I'd get a nice slim digital, or a real SLR camera.
SIG: HUP
for reminding people that they don't gain karma for a funny mod.
Funny how that works.