Security expert Martin Hron managed to hack the system of a smart coffee maker connected to the Internet and force it to mine the Monero cryptocurrency. SlashGear tells about the experiment.
An employee of Avast, a company known for its antivirus products, chose the Smarter iKettle, a coffee maker that connects to the smart home system via Wi-Fi, for the experience. This task was made easier by the fact that the manufacturer built the product on the basis of popular controllers, with non-encrypted wireless connection. The programmer intercepted the firmware, made changes to it, and then “poured” on the coffee maker, gaining full control over the household appliance.
The “zombie” coffee maker began to display a message that it would no longer work without a ransom, simultaneously pouring boiling water. Moreover, even despite the device’s modest computing capabilities, the IT expert managed to launch cryptocurrency mining on it.
Martin Hron noted that manufacturers of smart things should pay more attention to the information security of their gadgets.
