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How Hacking Air Conditioners Can Take Down a City's Power Grid

  • 18 February 2016
  • 4 replies
  • 192 views
Jasper_The_Rasper
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Attackers would have to invest as little as $50

 
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Feb 18, 2016 18:48 GMT  ·  By Catalin Cimpanu  Have you ever imagined that someone could forcibly turn on air conditioner units across a city or city block and cause power grid blackouts in peak hours? According to two security researchers, the concept is not a theory anymore and using current-day equipment this is perfectly doable.
 
Speaking at the Security Analyst Summit (SAS 2016) held in Tenerife, Spain, Vasilios Hioureas from Kaspersky Lab and Thomas Kinsey from Exigent Systems showed how threat actors could spend as little as $50 (€45) and have the hardware capabilities to bring down electric grids during peak hours.
 
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4 replies

Baldrick
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Userlevel 7
Well, as has been said before...anything with a CPU or suitable circuitary, etc., is a hacker's potential target...so why not air conditioning? After all they have turned a 'smart' fridge into a botnet!
Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester v9.0.24.49, imaged by Macrium Reflect v7.2
Jasper_The_Rasper
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Userlevel 7
Badge +54
@ wrote:
Well, as has been said before...anything with a CPU or suitable circuitary, etc., is a hacker's potential target...so why not air conditioning? After all they have turned a 'smart' fridge into a botnet!
I just cannot see why everything has to be connected these days, it is asking for trouble.
Baldrick
Rank
Userlevel 7
Indeed, the rush to get everything connected is indeed providing a fertile landscape for the miscreants who love nothing more than prying on innocents and making their lives a misery.
Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester v9.0.24.49, imaged by Macrium Reflect v7.2
Jasper_The_Rasper
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +54
@ wrote:
Indeed, the rush to get everything connected is indeed providing a fertile landscape for the miscreants who love nothing more than prying on innocents and making their lives a misery.
I am glad I am not the only one who can see what is happening. However it would be OK to have a beer glass which would automatically refill when it is emptied, it would be better than waiting forever.

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