Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Malicious Hardware Hacking May Be the Next Frontier

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i-hide-it-in-my-pocket dept.

An anonymous reader writes "It's a given that hackers will target software, and that's enough for many people to worry about. But now there's the possibility that hackers would hide malicious code in the hardware itself. A hardware hack could be an annoyance, by stopping a mobile phone from functioning. Or it could be more dangerous, if it damages the way a critical system operates. Villasenor says there are several types of attacks. Broadly they would fall into two categories: one is when a block stops a chip from functioning, while the other involves shipping data out."

2 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. [Insert scary possibility] by betterunixthanunix · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "A hardware hack could do [bad thing] or even [really bad thing]!" What about, "A hardware hack could free users from restriction systems?" or perhaps "A hardware hack could allow a mechanic to work on a transmission that was locked down by the manufacturer?"

    --
    Palm trees and 8
  2. Uhhh... by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Most of the defenses involve adding a kind of "policing" function to the chip's architecture. For example, one could design a block that would monitor the behavior of other blocks and make sure they fit certain patterns. If another block misbehaves, it would be "quarantined" and the monitoring hardware would take over the now-missing functions.

    Yeah, THAT sounds practical. The article author watches/reads too much science fiction.