Speaker 1: Okay, so you sent over a ton of info on
Speaker 1: this whole IoT hacking thing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's pretty fascinating stuff. You know. It kind
Speaker 2: of combines that traditional cybersecurity world, right with the unique
Speaker 2: vulnerabilities you get with physical devices.
Speaker 1: So not just software anymore exactly. Yeah, talking hardware, radio signals,
Speaker 1: even like the physical environment. Yeah, these devices operated.
Speaker 2: It really expands the attack surface, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: We're going to try and like give you a clear
Speaker 2: picture of the security landscape of the whole Internet of things.
Speaker 1: I think the first question here, Yeah, what exactly are
Speaker 1: we even talking about when we say IoT.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a great question, and you're.
Speaker 1: Right, everything has a chip and WiFi these days.
Speaker 2: It seems like it, right. Yeah, there's not like a
Speaker 2: single universal definition, okay, but for our purposes, we're going
Speaker 2: to use the one from practical IoT hacking, right, which
Speaker 2: is physical devices that have computing power and can transfer
Speaker 2: data over networks, yet don't typically require human to computer interaction.
Speaker 1: Okay, So like my smart refrigerator that tells me when
Speaker 1: I'm low.
Speaker 2: On milk exactly, or like a smart thermostat, security cameras,
Speaker 2: even things like connected insulin pumps Wow. And here's where
Speaker 2: it gets really interesting. The book actually paints this picture
Speaker 2: of a city skyline Okay, not just with buildings, but
Speaker 2: with this dense network of antennas and sensors connecting all
Speaker 2: these devices, millions of points of data, all talking to
Speaker 2: each other.
Speaker 1: So this isn't like some futuristic concept, not at all.
Speaker 1: This is already happening.
Speaker 2: It's woven into the fabric of our lives.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so you're starting to understand why security for all
Speaker 2: this is so crucial.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, it goes beyond just protecting data, right, this is
Speaker 1: like protecting our physical safety, yes, our privacy, even critical
Speaker 1: infrastructure exactly.
Speaker 2: I mean if someone can hack into like a power
Speaker 2: grid or a traffic management system, consequences can be really devastating.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's making this feel very real. Yeah, so how
Speaker 1: is this different from the traditional IT security that we're
Speaker 1: used to hearing about.
Speaker 2: Well, one major difference is that IoT devices often have
Speaker 2: limited resources. Okay, you know, they don't necessarily have the
Speaker 2: processing power or memory to handle complex security.
Speaker 1: Oh so it's like, yeah, trying to install a bank
Speaker 1: vault door on a garden shed.
Speaker 2: That's a great analogy.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just not.
Speaker 2: It's not designed designed for that level of for that
Speaker 2: level of security exactly.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Another challenge is just the sheer diversity of technologies okay,
Speaker 2: countless hardware and software, combinations, different communication protocols. It creates
Speaker 2: this massive attack surface for hackers to exploit.
Speaker 1: And unlike a server and a data center, right, so
Speaker 1: many of these devices are just physically accessible, yeah, exactly,
Speaker 1: anyone could tamper with them.
Speaker 2: Anyone could. Yeah. And we can't forget the lack of
Speaker 2: security awareness among some manufacturers. A lot of times the
Speaker 2: focus is just on, you know.
Speaker 1: Getting it to market, getting cort quickly and cheaply.
Speaker 2: Quickly and cheaply, rather than building in those robust security features.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's get out of theory, okay and talk about
Speaker 1: some real world examples. Sure, the book talks about Jay Radcliffe, right,
Speaker 1: the security researcher who found vulnerabilities in his own insulin pump.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so he realizes that a hacker could potentially like
Speaker 2: manipulate the dosage, putting his life at risk.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: It really highlights the potential life or death consequences of
Speaker 2: insecure IoT medical devices.
Speaker 1: That's terrifying. It is that really hits home how high
Speaker 1: the stakes are here.
Speaker 2: Another example that might surprise you is the vulnerability of
Speaker 2: VoIP phones.
Speaker 1: Voy p Those are just internet phones, yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 1: How could those be a security risk?
Speaker 2: Well, they're often overlooked from a security standpoint, but they
Speaker 2: can actually be used as entry points, oh wow, to
Speaker 2: gain access to corporate networks, including those with sensitive IoT devices.
Speaker 1: So even a seemingly harmless device, yeah, can be a
Speaker 1: weak link in the chain.
Speaker 2: It can absolutely.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm starting to see how all this connects it.
Speaker 2: It's all connected.
Speaker 1: So how does a hacker actually target these devices?
Speaker 2: Well, they usually follow like a systematic.
Speaker 1: Approach okay, So they don't just randomly start not usually
Speaker 1: no poken around.
Speaker 2: It often starts with reconnaissance okay, gathering information about the
Speaker 2: target device, it's network configuration, any available documentation or firmware updates.
Speaker 1: So like doing their homework before making a move.
Speaker 2: Exactly like casing the joint in a heist movie.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Once they have a good understanding of the device, huh,
Speaker 2: they move on to vulnerability analysis okay. This is where
Speaker 2: they identify potential weaknesses in the software, hardware, or communication.
Speaker 1: Protocols, looking for those chinks in the armor exactly. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I'm guessing the final step is the actual attack.
Speaker 2: Yes, the exploitation phase. This is where they use the
Speaker 2: identified vulnerabilities to gain control of the device, access sensitive data,
Speaker 2: or disrupt its operation.
Speaker 1: So let's get into some of the specific hacking techniques. Okay,
Speaker 1: what are some of the more shall we say, ingenious ones.
Speaker 2: Well, one example is VLAN hopping, which involves exploiting misconfigured
Speaker 2: network switches to gain access to restricted vlands.
Speaker 1: Wait, can you back up a second, sure, what exactly
Speaker 1: is a vlan?
Speaker 2: Think of it as like creating separate virtual networks within
Speaker 2: a larger physical network, having different lanes on a highway
Speaker 2: to separate different types of traffic. So in a company,
Speaker 2: they might use VLANs to separate sensitive data from the
Speaker 2: rest of the network. Vland hopping allows a hacker to
Speaker 2: jump between those lanes and access information they shouldn't be
Speaker 2: able to see.
Speaker 1: So like finding a secret passageway to bypass security checkpoint.
Speaker 2: That's a very act analogy. Another fastenating technique is the
Speaker 2: MQTT attack. IMQTT it stands for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport.
Speaker 2: It's a lightweight messaging protocol often used in IoT ecosystems
Speaker 2: for communication between devices. Okay, the book details a way
Speaker 2: to create a custom and crack module that's a password
Speaker 2: cracking tool to crack the authentication of an MQTT broker.
Speaker 1: A broker.
Speaker 2: Think of it as like a central hub that manages
Speaker 2: the communication between all the devices. So by cracking the broker,
Speaker 2: the attacker gains control over an entire network of devices.
Speaker 1: Wow, so it's like finding the master key that unlocks
Speaker 1: every door in the building.
Speaker 2: You're catching on quickly. Then there's UPnP exploitation.
Speaker 1: UPNB.
Speaker 2: It stands for Universal plug and Play. Okay, it's designed
Speaker 2: to make it super easy to like set up devices
Speaker 2: on a network, but it can also be a security.
Speaker 1: Nightmare, so convenience often comes at.
Speaker 2: A cost unfortunately. Yes, hackers can exploit flaws in UPNKE
Speaker 2: to open up ports in a router's firewall, exposing internal
Speaker 2: devices to the Internet.
Speaker 1: So it's like leaving the front door wide open with
Speaker 1: the big scien and says come on in exactly. Yikes.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a good reminder to be careful about what
Speaker 2: features you enable on your router.
Speaker 1: Speaking of sneaky techniques, yeah, what about these man in
Speaker 1: the middle attacks? Using mDNS and WS discovery.
Speaker 2: So mDNS and WS discovery are meant for simple device
Speaker 2: discovery on local networks. Like say you want to print
Speaker 2: something and your computer needs to find the printer on
Speaker 2: your home network. Right, these protocols help with that, okay,
Speaker 2: But hackers can abuse them to intercept and manipulate communications,
Speaker 2: even impersonating legitimate devices.
Speaker 1: So it's like intercepting a phone call and pretending to
Speaker 1: be the person on the other end exactly.
Speaker 2: Oh wow, And these attacks can be used to steal data,
Speaker 2: disrupt operations, or even gain control of devices.
Speaker 1: And I'm guessing it's pretty hard to detect it can be.
Speaker 1: Ye is getting seriously intense.
Speaker 2: Let's bring it back to something a little more tangible
Speaker 2: and maybe a little scary. The book talks about RFID
Speaker 2: tag cloning, using readily available tools to potentially gain access
Speaker 2: to buildings or systems.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about securing the digital world. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's also the.
Speaker 2: Physical physical implication.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, And that brings us to another crucial point, the
Speaker 2: vulnerability of mobile apps that are often used to control
Speaker 2: and configure IoT devices.
Speaker 1: Right those appsolutely, you adjust your thermostat from.
Speaker 2: Your phone, exactly, or check your security cameras while you're away.
Speaker 2: The problem is these apps can be easier targets than
Speaker 2: the devices themselves. Oh wow, they might store data insecurely
Speaker 2: or be susceptible to injection attacks where malicious code is inserted.
Speaker 1: So hacking the app could give the attack or backdoor.
Speaker 2: Access to the device and the entire network. Wow, it's
Speaker 2: connected to It's.
Speaker 1: A sobering thought. His It seems like with all this connectivity,
Speaker 1: there's always some new vulnerability to worry about.
Speaker 2: It's a constantly evolving landscape. That's why it's so important
Speaker 2: to understand like the hacking mindset. By learning how attackers think,
Speaker 2: we can better anticipate their moves and protect ourselves.
Speaker 1: Knowledge is power, exactly.
Speaker 2: But before we go full on cyber detective, right, let's
Speaker 2: remember that not all hacking is malicious, right.
Speaker 1: There are ethical hackers exactly right.
Speaker 2: Ethical hackers use their skills to find and report vulnerabilities,
Speaker 2: helping to make systems more secure.
Speaker 1: So they're like the white hats in an old Western right,
Speaker 1: using their knowledge for good exactly.
Speaker 2: Practical IoT hacking actually emphasizes the importance of ethical hacking, okay,
Speaker 2: and working within those legal frameworks. It even mentions specific
Speaker 2: laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer
Speaker 2: Fraud and Abuse Act that govern these activities.
Speaker 1: So we've got legal and ethical guidelines we do to
Speaker 1: consider as well. Yeah, that's a whole other layer.
Speaker 2: Of complexity, it is, but it's an important one. Cybersecurity
Speaker 2: isn't just about technical skills. It's also about understanding the
Speaker 2: implications of what we do and making sure we're using
Speaker 2: our knowledge responsibly.
Speaker 1: Okay, we've covered a lot of ground here. We have
Speaker 1: define the IoT, explored its unique security challenges, h delved
Speaker 1: into real world examples, and even peaked into the hacker's toolbox.
Speaker 2: We've only just scratched the surface, though, Right, there's so
Speaker 2: much more to learn about this, this rapidly evolving field.
Speaker 2: But hopefully this has given you a solid foundation to
Speaker 2: build upon.
Speaker 1: It definitely has. Yeah, it seems like we're just at
Speaker 1: the beginning, I think so of a much larger conversation
Speaker 1: about how we secure this right increasingly interconnected world.
Speaker 2: You're absolutely right, the security of the IoT is not
Speaker 2: just a technical issue. It's a societal issue.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, the line between the
Speaker 2: digital and physical realms is blurring. What happens in cyberspace
Speaker 2: can have very real consequences.
Speaker 1: And that's a thought we should all be grappling with.
Speaker 2: We'll dive deeper into that in the next part of
Speaker 2: our deep dive. We'll explore some advanced hacking techniques and
Speaker 2: discuss the broader implications of the IoT security landscape. Sounds
Speaker 2: like a plan until then, stay curious and stay vigilant.
Speaker 1: Seed in part two. Okay, so last time we were
Speaker 1: talking about the importance of understanding the hacker's mindset and
Speaker 1: how they approach these IoT.
Speaker 2: Systems, and now we're going to explore some of those
Speaker 2: advanced hacking techniques that kind of take that understanding a
Speaker 2: step for it air, It's like peeling back the layers
Speaker 2: of an onion, uncovering like new levels of complexity.
Speaker 1: Okay, you've intrigued me, but I'm also a little nervous.
Speaker 2: Let's start with network sniffing and protocol analysis. Okay, this
Speaker 2: is where things get a bit more technical. Oka, but
Speaker 2: it's really crucial for understanding how attackers can intercept and
Speaker 2: manipulate data that's flowing between these IoT devices.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'll try and keep up. So network sniffing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it sounds kind of ominous, it doesn't it. What
Speaker 2: exactly is it?
Speaker 1: Think of it like eavesdropping on a conversation. When devices
Speaker 1: communicate over a network, they send these packets of data
Speaker 1: back and forth. A network sniffer is a tool that
Speaker 1: captures those packets, allowing a hacker to see what information
Speaker 1: is being transmitted.
Speaker 2: So they're basically spying on the conversation between the devices.
Speaker 1: But it's not enough just to see the data. You
Speaker 1: need to understand what it means. And that's where protocol
Speaker 1: analysis comes in. Different types of data use different communication protocols,
Speaker 1: which are kind of like sets of rules for how
Speaker 1: the information is structured and transmitted.
Speaker 2: So like different languages for different types of data exactly.
Speaker 1: And by analyzing those protocols, hackers can decipher the meaning
Speaker 1: of the data they're intercepting. Once they understand the language,
Speaker 1: they can start manipulating the data, injecting their own commands
Speaker 1: oh okay, or even like disrupting the communication entirely.
Speaker 2: So it's not just passively listening. They can actually interfere.
Speaker 1: With the conversation.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it can be a problem. This is getting scary,
Speaker 2: especially if the protocols being used aren't very secure.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: The book actually gives the example of.
Speaker 1: Di com DICOM. That sounds familiar.
Speaker 2: It stands for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine, right, Okay.
Speaker 2: It's how medical images like X rays and CT scams
Speaker 2: are stored and transmitted. If someone were able to intercept
Speaker 2: and manipulate those images, the consequences could be serious.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's definitely unsettling. Yeah, but surely it's not that
Speaker 1: easy to just sniff network traffic.
Speaker 2: Well, there are security measures in place, but they're not
Speaker 2: always fool proof okay, and sometimes hackers have to get
Speaker 2: a little creative and develop their own tools to analyze
Speaker 2: and manipulate these protocols.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: The book talks about extending wire shark.
Speaker 1: Wire Shark is that something anyone can use well? Or
Speaker 1: is that like specialized hacker software.
Speaker 2: Wireshark itself is actually a legitimate tool used by network
Speaker 2: administrators and security professionals okay, for troubleshooting and analysis. It's
Speaker 2: open source, meaning anyone can download and use it. But
Speaker 2: in the wrong hands, it can also be used for
Speaker 2: those malicious purposes.
Speaker 1: So it's like any powerful tool. It could be used
Speaker 1: for good or evil it can depending on the intentions
Speaker 1: of the user exactly. The book also explains how to
Speaker 1: write custom modules for enmap, which is another powerful network
Speaker 1: scanning tool. It is to identify and target new network protocols.
Speaker 2: It's like giving hackers a set of lock picks for
Speaker 2: any type of digital door they encounter.
Speaker 1: So they're constantly developing new ways they are to exploit
Speaker 1: weaknesses in these systems.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it feels like an arms race almost between the
Speaker 2: hackers and the security professionals.
Speaker 1: Speaking of exploiting weaknesses, you mentioned manipulating data earlier. Can
Speaker 1: you give me like a specific example of what that
Speaker 1: might look like.
Speaker 2: One common technique is called a bit flipping attack.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: It involves changing specific bits in a data packet.
Speaker 1: Hold on, bakup bits. Yeah, like ones and zeros.
Speaker 2: Exactly, those tiny ones and zeros that make up all
Speaker 2: digital information.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: By flipping just a few bits, an attacker can potentially
Speaker 2: change the meaning of a message wow, corrupt data, or
Speaker 2: even trigger unexpected behavior in a device.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Imagine like changing a single letter in a recipe.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: It might seem small, but it could drastically alter the outcome.
Speaker 2: That's what bitflipping does to digital data.
Speaker 1: So they're basically introducing like typos.
Speaker 2: That's a good analogy under the code to mess things
Speaker 2: up exactly. And the scary thing is these attacks can
Speaker 2: be difficult to detect, oh wow, because they often don't
Speaker 2: leave any obvious traces.
Speaker 1: So it's like a ghost in the machine it is.
Speaker 1: So we've covered network sniffing right and data manipulation. What
Speaker 1: are the tricks do the cybern inges have up their sleeves.
Speaker 2: Well, let's shift gears a bit and talk about hardware hacking.
Speaker 2: This is where we delve into the physical world of circuits,
Speaker 2: micro controllers, and all sorts of electronic components.
Speaker 1: Hardware hacking. Yeah, so like soldering irons and server boards.
Speaker 1: That sounds pretty hardcore.
Speaker 2: It can be. Yeah. The goal of hardware hacking is
Speaker 2: usually to gain access to a device's firmware, which is
Speaker 2: the low level software that controls its operation. Think of
Speaker 2: it like the operating system for a specific piece of hardware.
Speaker 1: Got it.
Speaker 2: By modifying the firmware, an attacker can potentially bypass security mechanisms,
Speaker 2: installed back doors, or even completely reprogram the device to
Speaker 2: do something it wasn't intended to do.
Speaker 1: So like taking apart a car engine and rewiring it. Yeah,
Speaker 1: to make it go faster.
Speaker 2: That's a pretty good analogy, okay. And the motivations for
Speaker 2: hardware hacking can vary, right. Some people do it for
Speaker 2: research purposes to understand how devices work and find vulnerabilities.
Speaker 2: Others might do it to unlock hidden features okay, or
Speaker 2: customize the device's functionality.
Speaker 1: But I'm guessing there are also those who do it
Speaker 1: for less noble reasons.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately. Yes, yeh, a hacker could use hardware hacking techniques
Speaker 2: to steal data, disrupt operations, or even cause physical damage.
Speaker 1: This is getting into like some serious spy thriller territory here.
Speaker 2: It is. Yeah. The book talks about using techniques like
Speaker 2: side channel analysis and fault injection.
Speaker 1: Okay. Side channel analysis, yeah, fault injection.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna need a little more explanation on those, I
Speaker 2: think so so. Side channel analysis involves monitoring the physical
Speaker 2: properties of a device, like its power consumption or electromagnetic emissions, okay,
Speaker 2: to glean information about its internal workings. It's like listening
Speaker 2: to the subtle clicks and wars of a safe right
Speaker 2: to figure out the combination. Fault injection, on the other hand,
Speaker 2: involves deliberately introduced seeing errors or glitches okay into a
Speaker 2: device's operation, right, to force it to reveal secrets or
Speaker 2: behave in unexpected ways.
Speaker 1: So you're basically trying to Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2: Like jostling a vending machine to try and get a
Speaker 2: free snack.
Speaker 1: Right right.
Speaker 2: Those are some pretty clever, albeit devious techniques.
Speaker 1: It seems like these hackers are always thinking outside the box.
Speaker 2: They are. That's why it's so important to stay ahead
Speaker 2: of the curve.
Speaker 1: Speaking of staying ahead of the curve, what are some
Speaker 1: common tools and techniques used for this kind of hardware hacking?
Speaker 2: Well, one popular tool is the JTAG interface JTAG. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it stands for Joint Test Action Group. It's a standard
Speaker 2: for testing and debugging electronic Circuitskay. Think of it like
Speaker 2: a backdoor into the device's brain, allowing a hacker to
Speaker 2: connect to a device and read or write data to
Speaker 2: its memory, including the firmware.
Speaker 1: JTAG Is that something that anyone can get their hands on.
Speaker 2: JTAG interfaces themselves are fairly common. Yeah, you can find
Speaker 2: them online or at electronics stores. They're often used by
Speaker 2: engineers and hobbyists for legitimate purposes, but again, in the
Speaker 2: wrong hands. They can also be used for malicious hacking.
Speaker 1: So, like most of these tools, it's not the tool itself, No,
Speaker 1: that's good or bad. It's the intention.
Speaker 2: It's the intention behind it.
Speaker 1: Another technique is called you ARET sniffing.
Speaker 2: You ARE stands for universal asynchronous receiver transmitter Okay, and
Speaker 2: it's a common interface for serial communication between different components
Speaker 2: of a device.
Speaker 1: Okay, you're losing me a bit with the technical jargon.
Speaker 2: Imagine you have a walkie talkie conversation with a friend, right,
Speaker 2: you are is kind of like the channel you're using
Speaker 2: to communicate. By listening in on that channel, a hacker
Speaker 2: could intercept your conversation.
Speaker 1: So by sniffing the art traffic, they're essentially eavesdropping on
Speaker 1: the conversation.
Speaker 2: That's a good way to put it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, between different parts of a device.
Speaker 2: The book gives an example of using you ARET sniffing
Speaker 2: to extract the firmware from a smart loock.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Once they have the firmware, they can analyze it for vulnerabilities,
Speaker 2: tracked encryption keys, or even modify it to change the
Speaker 2: device's behavior.
Speaker 1: So they're basically rewriting the rules of the game in
Speaker 1: a way.
Speaker 2: Yes, and that's why hardware hacking, yeah, could be.
Speaker 1: Such a serious threat, especially in the context of the IoT.
Speaker 2: Can you elaborate on that a bit sure. Why is
Speaker 2: hardware hacking particularly dangerous for IoT devices?
Speaker 1: Well, as we discussed earlier, many IoT devices are physically accessible, right.
Speaker 1: They're in our homes, our offices, even our cars. This
Speaker 1: makes them very vulnerable to hardware tampering. It's one thing
Speaker 1: to worry about someone hacking your computer remotely, it's another
Speaker 1: thing to worry about them physically messing with your devices.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I see your point. Yeah, it feels a lot
Speaker 2: more invasive it's been someone's physically tampering.
Speaker 1: It does, and the consequences of hardware hacking could be significant.
Speaker 1: Imagine someone tampering with the firmware of a medical device
Speaker 1: or a self driving car. It could have life or death.
Speaker 2: Okay, now you're just giving me nightmares.
Speaker 1: But seriously, it makes you realize that we need to
Speaker 1: think about security from both a software and a hardware perspective.
Speaker 2: It's not enough to just protect your data.
Speaker 1: You also need to protect the physical devices themselves.
Speaker 2: That's one of the key takeaways from our deep dive
Speaker 2: into IoT hacking.
Speaker 1: It's not just about protecting your data. No, it's about
Speaker 1: protecting your devices, your physical safety, and the integrity of
Speaker 1: the systems we rely on every day. It's a lot
Speaker 1: to wrap your head around, it is, But hopefully this
Speaker 1: conversation has shed some light, yeah, on the hidden dangers
Speaker 1: of the IoT and empowered you to take steps to
Speaker 1: protect yourself.
Speaker 2: Exactly what else do.
Speaker 1: We need to cover in our deep dive?
Speaker 2: Well, and the final part, we'll take everything we've learned,
Speaker 2: okay and apply it to some real world attack scenarios.
Speaker 2: Oh okay, it'll be like those uh true crime shows, right,
Speaker 2: but for the world of cybersecurity.
Speaker 1: Consider me hooked until next time, folks. All right, so
Speaker 1: we've spent the life couple episodes kind of unpacking this
Speaker 1: world of IoT hacking.
Speaker 2: We have.
Speaker 1: We've defined the IoT, We've explored those unique security challenges,
Speaker 1: learned about all sorts of sneaky techniques hackers are using
Speaker 1: to exploit those weaknesses.
Speaker 2: It's been quite a journey, it has. But we're not
Speaker 2: done yet. Okay, now it's time to actually see how
Speaker 2: this all plays out in real world scenarios.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm ready for the main event. Hit me with
Speaker 1: your best shot.
Speaker 2: Right, So we're going to walk you through three different scenarios,
Speaker 2: each one highlighting the potential consequences of insecure IoT devices.
Speaker 1: Take me to the scene of the cybercrime.
Speaker 2: Okay. So our first scenario, okay, takes place in a
Speaker 2: seemingly ordinary apartment building. A hacker has their sites set
Speaker 2: on bypassing the security system.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we're talking physical security breaches. Now, this is getting.
Speaker 2: Real, it is, yeah, Okay. This scenario focuses on RFID technology,
Speaker 2: which is commonly used in keyless entry systems and security tags. Right.
Speaker 2: The hackers weapon of choice here is a device called
Speaker 2: the prox Mark three.
Speaker 1: Prox Mark three. Yeah, that sounds like something out of
Speaker 1: James Bond.
Speaker 2: It might sound fancy, but it's actually a real tool
Speaker 2: used by security researchers and unfortunately hackers as well.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: It can read, write, and emulate RFID tags. They can
Speaker 2: even use something called a dark.
Speaker 1: Side attack, a dark side attack.
Speaker 2: To exploit vulnerabilities in an RFID cards random number generator,
Speaker 2: so they.
Speaker 1: Can create like a perfect copy of the RFID tag.
Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty much. It just walts right in exactly and
Speaker 2: it doesn't stop there.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: They might also target the building's alarm system using a
Speaker 2: technique called jamming.
Speaker 1: Jenning to disable it. Is that like creating interference? Yeah,
Speaker 1: to block the.
Speaker 2: Signal precisely, so, by transmitting a strong signal on the
Speaker 2: same frequency as the alarm system, Okay, they can effectively
Speaker 2: drown out the communication between the sensors and the control panel.
Speaker 1: So they bypassed the RFID loss jam the alarm.
Speaker 2: What's next, Let's say they want to spy on the
Speaker 2: building security cameras.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: Many modern security cameras use IP based networks, meaning they
Speaker 2: can be accessed remotely over the Internet. Oh and a
Speaker 2: lot of these cameras have weak security configurations, making them
Speaker 2: easy targets for hackers, So.
Speaker 1: Even if they don't physically break into the building, they
Speaker 1: can still see what's going on inside unfortunately.
Speaker 2: Yes, and the book describes how hackers use a tool
Speaker 2: called FFmpeg.
Speaker 1: FFmpeg.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what's that.
Speaker 1: It stands for a fast forward m PEG. It's a
Speaker 1: powerful multi media framework that can handle a wide range
Speaker 1: of audio and video formats. So in this scenario, the
Speaker 1: hacker would use FFmpeg to connect to the camera's RTP stream.
Speaker 2: RTP stream that's.
Speaker 1: The real time Transport protocol which is how videos often
Speaker 1: sent over a network and then record the footage.
Speaker 2: So they could watch the live footage, record it, or
Speaker 2: even manipulate it exactly. It highlights the importance of securing
Speaker 2: your IP cameras and any other network connected devices.
Speaker 1: Yeah, just because something's connected to the Internet doesn't mean
Speaker 1: it's secure.
Speaker 2: Okay, that's enough to make me paranoid about all the
Speaker 2: cameras in my life.
Speaker 1: Okay. Scenario number two, okay, takes us from the world
Speaker 1: of physical security to the realm of personal fitness.
Speaker 2: At this time, our target is a smart treadmill.
Speaker 1: A smart treadmill, so like one of those treadmills that
Speaker 1: can track your workout data and connect to the internet.
Speaker 1: Exactly what could possibly go wrong with that?
Speaker 2: Well, as with any connected device, right, security is key,
Speaker 2: and in this case, the treadmill has a few vulnerabilities
Speaker 2: that a hacker could exploit.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm all yours.
Speaker 2: So the book explains how a hacker could gain access
Speaker 2: to the treadmill's internal systems by exploiting flaws in the
Speaker 2: user interface or the web browser that's often built into
Speaker 2: these devices. Many smart devices actually use embedded web browsers,
Speaker 2: and those brows might be based on older, less secure
Speaker 2: versions of software like Webit WebKit.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that sounds familiar.
Speaker 2: It's the engine that powers the Safari web browser on
Speaker 2: Apple devices as well as many other browsers, and like
Speaker 2: any software, it can have vulnerabilities. Packers can exploit these
Speaker 2: vulnerabilities to gain control of the device. It's like finding
Speaker 2: a backdoor into the treadmill's operating system.
Speaker 1: And once they have access, what can they do? Change
Speaker 1: the speed exactly.
Speaker 2: Imagine someone taking control of your treadmill while you're running
Speaker 2: at high speed. It could cause serious injury.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's not funny, that's actually terrifying. Yeah.
Speaker 2: It highlights the importance of choosing smart devices from reputable
Speaker 2: manufacturers who prioritize security. Do your research before you buy,
Speaker 2: and make sure you keep your devices updated with the
Speaker 2: latest software patches, which often includes security fit.
Speaker 1: And it's not just about physical safety, right These devices
Speaker 1: are collecting a lot of personal data about us. They
Speaker 1: are that data could be valuable to hackers.
Speaker 2: It could they might use it for identity theft, blackmail,
Speaker 2: or other malicious purposes. It's not just about protecting your devices, it's.
Speaker 1: About protecting your data as well.
Speaker 2: Okay, we've seen how hackers can bypass physical security systems,
Speaker 2: spy on us through our security cameras, and even turn
Speaker 2: our exercise equipment against us.
Speaker 1: This is a lot to take in, it is, but
Speaker 1: the key takeaway here is this, Okay, the IoT brings
Speaker 1: a lot of convenience and potential benefits, but it also
Speaker 1: introduces a whole new set of security risks.
Speaker 2: And those risks are real. They are They're not just
Speaker 2: theoretical threats. No, they're happening right now.
Speaker 1: They are happening right now.
Speaker 2: So what can we do about it?
Speaker 1: Knowledge is power. By understanding the threats, we're better equipped
Speaker 1: to defend against them. Research, choose your devices carefully and
Speaker 1: keep them updated. Be mindful of the data you're sharing.
Speaker 1: Just because a company offers like a free app or
Speaker 1: a cool new feature doesn't mean you should blindly trust
Speaker 1: them with your personal information.
Speaker 2: It's a lot to think about, but I think it's important.
Speaker 1: To have these conversations. I agree. We can't just bury
Speaker 1: our heads in the sand and pretend that these threats
Speaker 1: don't exist. They're real, and that's what we've tried to
Speaker 1: do with this deep dive. We have to shed some
Speaker 1: light on the hidden dangers of the IoT and empower
Speaker 1: you to take control of your own security.
Speaker 2: Well said, and on that note, I think we've reached
Speaker 2: the end of our journey into the world of IoT hacking.
Speaker 1: Stay curious, stay vigilant, and stay safe out there. Absolutely
Speaker 1: until next time, folks,