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Hacker Cracks Smart Gun Security To Shoot It Without Approval (cnn.com)

An anonymous reader shares a CNN report:Smart guns are supposed to be safer than traditional weapons. They're designed to only fire when paired with a second piece of technology that identifies the shooter, like an electronic chip or a fingerprint. Supporters say they could stop accidental shootings or misfires. And they've been lauded by law enforcement to prevent criminals from using stolen or misplaced guns. However, like any technology, they're not unhackable. A hacker known by the pseudonym Plore doesn't want to put a stop to smart guns, but he wants the firearm industry that's increasingly manufacturing these devices to know that they can be hacked. The model Plore hacked is called the Armatix IPI. It pairs electronically with a smart watch so that only the person wearing the watch can fire it. The devices authenticate users via radio signals, electronically talking to each other within a small range. Plore broke the security features in three different ways, including jamming radio signals in the weapon and watch so the gun couldn't be fired, and shooting the gun with no watch nearby by placing strong magnets next to the weapon.

2 of 501 comments (clear)

  1. Should be your choice by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 0, Troll

    Even, if as you say "I mean, having a firearm that my life may depend on in a home invasion, that may not fire if I'm not wearing a watch" -- that's actually a good thing, because the thing that you should most be worried about in a home invasion is getting killed by your own gun.

    Most of the home invasions I'm seeing reported, the criminals are bringing their own weapons to the party.

    I'd like to see the source of that data. From what I've seen, the vast majority are cases of burglars who had incorrectly expected that nobody would be home.

    And at the very least, shouldn't it be MY decision to make?

    Of course. You should be able to decide whether to buy a gun with electronic safety features.

    But you can't decide that now, because you can't buy the gun with the safety features.

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    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    1. Re:Should be your choice by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 0, Troll

      I disagree with the fact that gun nuts are making sure that safer guns cannot be sold.

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      http://www.geoffreylandis.com