Slashdot Mirror
Hacking Lightbulbs To Cause a Sustained Blackout
An anonymous reader writes "Researcher Nitesh Dhanjani just published an evaluation of the Philips Hue wireless lighting system that is available at Apple stores (and online). These lightbulbs come with a wireless bridge that you can control from your iPhone. Dhanjani has published a video demonstrating a vulnerability he found that can be exploited by malware to cause a sustained blackout. The video shows how the malware script can continuously turn the light bulbs off. Dhanjani also discusses other scenarios such as the systems' tie in with IFTTT (If This Then That) to cause a blackout by tagging a Facebook user on a completely black photo. Lots of interesting ideas on security vulnerabilities targeting future malware and smart devices. The paper can be downloaded here (PDF)."
Why do I feel like I'm standing in line at the supermarket reading the cover of some tabloid rag right now...
It seems to me a bit frivolous to be connecting lights, toilets, refrigerators and whatnot to wireless technology.
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
Turning off a single or set of light bulbs is not a "sustained blackout." Shutdown all electrical systems in a city (or at least a neighborhood) and maybe you can start talking blackout. But turning off a couple of light bulbs isn't even inconvenient. What kind of hyperbolic dipshittery headline writing is this?
Apologies in advance for the trolling but that section seems a bit unnecessary... it's basically saying "if something bad happens to the service you use, something bad can happen to you"?
The light device has little to do with the hypothetical compromise of a cloud service IMO. As well as the feature of changing hue from another image. "Blackout" is a little alarmist when it's just doing what it's told to do...
The hack/comprimised access itself is neat though.
I guess I should maybe rethink my purchase of my Philips Wireless Beltbuckle.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Why seizures when you can re-program their brains?
Ezekiel 23:20
Security issues aside, wireless connectivity uses some small amount of power. To me this is energy wasting of the highest order. My lightbulbs constantly listening for the one time per month that maybe I want to turn them on from my phone? Yes please and a side of mountain top removal coal mining please!
Great warrior...hrmph! Wars not make one great.
The hack described in the article is interesting from a technical perspective, but the use of the term "blackout" is hysterical and misleading.
When I think of the term "blackout", I take that to mean no more 120/240 in any of my sockets.
Yes, appliance hacks are something that we all should think about as more and more of the ubiquitous appliances, like lights, HVAC, water and sewer, that truly make the modern world function come online, but cmon....
I prefer the ideas generated around fiscal policy.....
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT:
Um listen, if we could, er, for a moment move on to the subject of fiscal policy -
FORD:
”Fiscal Policy”?!
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT:
Yes.
FORD:
How can you have money if none of you actually produce anything? It doesn’t grow on trees you know!
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT:
You know If you would allow me to continue!
CAPTAIN:
Yes let him to continue.
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT:
Since we decided a few weeks ago to adopt leaves as legal tender, we have, of course all become immensely rich.
FORD:
No really? Really?
CROWD MEMBERS:
Yes, very good move
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT:
But, we have also run into a small inflation problem on account of the high level of leaf availability. Which means that I gather the current going rate has something like three major deciduous forests buying one ship’s peanut. So, um, in order to obviate this problem and effectively revalue the leaf, we are about to embark on an extensive defoliation campaign, and um, burn down all the forests. I think that’s a sensible move don’t you?
MARKETING GIRL:
That makes economic sense.
[Murmurs of agreement from crowd]
Hmm, the humour and sarcasm seem to have been be lost on you.
That's certainly not how the Smart Grid has to work.
One way it could work is for you to establish the rate you're willing to pay. A Smart Meter can tell your household appliances "The price of electricity from 4-8PM will follow this schedule: first 2 kWh are $0.20 each. Next 1 kWh is $0.40. Additional kWh are $5.00 each." You can then tell your A/C to "run for no more than 40 minutes per hour whenever the price > $2.00 / kWh", or "run the A/C for no more than $1.00 each hour." Demand pricing would allow you to decide for yourself "I don't want to pay these prices for extra A/C" or "I'm rich and want 70 degrees this afternoon, dammit." Scheduled pricing would allow people on very tight budgets a way to choose between their needs and their wants: TV and a fan, or small window A/C, but maybe not both.
Today I don't have the choice of "spend money and stay cool" or not. Instead, I have a system very much like the one described in the article you quoted. And I'm OK with it.
I had my electric co-op install a peak load controller on my A/C a decade ago. When the electric company sends their signal, the load controller shuts off my A/C for 20 minutes out of each hour. At least 10,000 other co-op members are part of the program as well, and together we have deferred the purchase of a new electric generator by over 10 years - and kept our overall electric rates low as well. My other benefit is that all the electricity my controlled A/C uses is sold to me through a separate meter at their cost: $0.055 / kWh, instead of $0.115 / kWh. My house might go up to a slightly uncomfortable 80 degrees when it's 100 degrees outside, but it knocks at least a hundred dollars off my bill a year. And the program is voluntary; I could call them and have them remove the controller, but then my bill would go back up.
John