06-09-2015, 05:02 PM
I was reading a security article on the IoT and I always like a good laugh. Well, here's one:
Flushing out the problem
As any visitor to Tokyo can tell you, Japan is years ahead of other countries in one very specific area of home appliance technology: the toilet. No kidding, the Japanese take their bathroom experience very seriously. It's estimated that around 70 percent of Japanese homes have so-called enhanced toilets with heated seats, remote control features, and bidet functions. (Only about 30 percent of Japanese households, meanwhile, have a dishwasher.)
The obvious and uncomfortable question thus presents itself: Is it possible for hackers to gain control of your toilet? The answer is yes, according to security company Trustwave, which issued an advisory on the Bluetooth-enabled Satis toilet a couple years back. The Satis toilet comes with an Android app for triggering the bidet and drying options -- or playing a custom music playlist -- while you're, you know, sitting there.
From the Trustwave advisory: "An attacker could simply download the My Satis application and use it to cause the toilet to repeatedly flush, raising the water usage and therefore utility cost to its owner. Attackers could cause the unit to unexpectedly open/close the lid, activate bidet or air-dry functions, causing discomfort or distress to user." Yes, that would be distressing.
Flushing out the problem
As any visitor to Tokyo can tell you, Japan is years ahead of other countries in one very specific area of home appliance technology: the toilet. No kidding, the Japanese take their bathroom experience very seriously. It's estimated that around 70 percent of Japanese homes have so-called enhanced toilets with heated seats, remote control features, and bidet functions. (Only about 30 percent of Japanese households, meanwhile, have a dishwasher.)
The obvious and uncomfortable question thus presents itself: Is it possible for hackers to gain control of your toilet? The answer is yes, according to security company Trustwave, which issued an advisory on the Bluetooth-enabled Satis toilet a couple years back. The Satis toilet comes with an Android app for triggering the bidet and drying options -- or playing a custom music playlist -- while you're, you know, sitting there.
From the Trustwave advisory: "An attacker could simply download the My Satis application and use it to cause the toilet to repeatedly flush, raising the water usage and therefore utility cost to its owner. Attackers could cause the unit to unexpectedly open/close the lid, activate bidet or air-dry functions, causing discomfort or distress to user." Yes, that would be distressing.
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“While the dividend itself is merely a rearrangement of equity, over time it's more like owning an apple tree. The tree grows the apples back again and again and again, and the theoretical value of the tree doesn't change just because of when the apples are about to fall.” - earthtodan
“While the dividend itself is merely a rearrangement of equity, over time it's more like owning an apple tree. The tree grows the apples back again and again and again, and the theoretical value of the tree doesn't change just because of when the apples are about to fall.” - earthtodan