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+---- Thread: Fish tank thermometer security risk - no kidding! (/showthread.php?tid=440)
Fish tank thermometer security risk - no kidding! - Marvin VE3VCG - 2021-04-15
The embedded link will take you to an article which describes how a casino was hacked using an network / internet connected fish tank thermometer. It's not a joke, in spite of some obvious potential references to something fishy going on the network. However, the hackers made off with a database fully of names and information which should have been private and well secured.
What, you might ask, is the point of posting this story here? Simply put, this story exposes one of the many risks internet security experts must deal with when trying to maintain not only data, but also critical systems. The evolution of the IoT (The Internet of Things) technology can potentially make it easier to monitor and control various devices remotely. As an example of this, our propane tanks have an IoT transmitter that alerts the company when we run low on gas. This then allows them to schedule a fill up. We never have to manually check the tanks or call the company.
Such devices make life easier and more efficient, but they also, as was illustrated by the casino hack attack, offer a backdoor into an otherwise secure system. If then a casino database can be hacked, such an attack could be used to gain critical security information on things like controls for the North American Power Grid. Even a remarkably small point of entry could provide hackers with the ability to do enormous harm.
For those who dismiss the potential danger of a cyber attack on the power grid, this story should at least give reason for a second thought. In today's connected world, a keyboard could be the most powerful weapon ever used in warfare. Put another way, if fish thermometers are vulnerable, so to might be virtually any system which can be accessed via the internet.
Casino Fish Tank Thermometer Hacked