A security expert has had a computer chip designed for tracking cows implanted into his hand by an ‘unlicensed amateur’ to hack phones from underneath the skin, reports Gizmodo.
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Biohacking or wetware hacking is the practice of engaging biology with the hacker ethic. It encompasses a wide spectrum of practices and movements one of which are the “grinders” who design and install do-it-yourself body-enhancements such as magnetic implants.
It sounds rather “out there”, right? But it apparently isn’t, as Wahle decided to demonstrate. You only need a good stomach. In order to show that an implanted NFC chip can be sneaked passed scanners at the airport and other high-security locations, he had to not only acquire a chip designed to normally be injected into cattle but also needed to use a needle that was rather big and made him want to vomit.
Said chip has a NFC (Near Field Communications) antenna which pings Android phones that are in close vicinity and then asks them to open a link. If followed, the link will lead to a malicious file which, once installed, will establish a connection to a remote computer from which the owner can carry out further exploits. With the right amount of social engineering this could become a real danger.
“In Miami, Wahle and Soto are planning to detail the steps hackers will need to go through to add implants to their arsenal, including how to acquire the hardware and program the chip. Could this be the beginnings of the democratisation of malevolent biohacking?” writes the Forbes magazine in its article. And security consultant Rod Soto adds: “This is just the tip of the iceberg … anyone can do this.”
The post Hackers Could Exploit Phones With an Implanted NFC Chip appeared first on Avira Blog.
Nowadays, with all the technological advances and everything being stored on a PC or even online, committing such a crime is actually easier than ever if the school isn’t prepared for it and has no security measures in place to prevent incidents as this one. But crime doesn’t pay even if it is “only” in order to change one’s grades, as Imran Uddin had to discover.
According to The Independent, the 25 year old student hid four logging devices into computers at the University of Birmingham. He apparently wanted to steal staff logins and then use the information to access the grading system to improve his own grades.
Fortunately the students trick was discovered, the police got involved, and – after pleading guilty to six offences under the Computer Misuse Act – he has been jailed for four months. While this might sound harsh to some let’s not forget that he actually committed a real crime that would have provided him with false qualifications would he have been successfull.
Detective Constable Mark Bird, from the Regional Cyber Crime Unit, said: “The audacity of Uddin to install not just one but four of these devices showed how determined he was to cheat his way to a better degree.”
You can read the whole article over here.
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UK train services could be vulnerable to being hacked, hijacked and crashed, due to the trial of new digital signaling system designed to make lines safer.
The post Hack on the track: Signaling flaw leaves UK trains vulnerable appeared first on We Live Security.
Virtually every computer sold today comes with a dirty little secret. It can spy on you. Learn more, and how to protect yourself.
The post The dirty secrets of webcam-hacking peeping toms and sextortionists appeared first on We Live Security.
Planes offering in-flight Wi-Fi are vulnerable to being hacked and controlled by onboard passengers, a US government watchdog has warned.
The post Hackers could control planes over in-flight Wi-Fi, warns US government appeared first on We Live Security.
Organizers of the Linux Australia conference have revealed that personal data of delegates may have been exposed after a hacker was able to gain access to a server, reports Security Affairs.
The post Linux Australia conference database hit by hackers appeared first on We Live Security.
Real-world hacking has long since spawned legions of more glamorous portrayals in videogames. Here are five of the best that take hacking and elevate it to thrilling levels.
The post The hacker games that made beating security feel like a thrill appeared first on We Live Security.
An Indiana teen has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a hacking ring that is said to have stolen data worth more than $100 million from major gaming developers.
The post US teen pleads guilty to $100 million gaming hack appeared first on We Live Security.
Thousands of British Airways frequent flyer accounts have been breached by hackers, reports ZDNet.
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