A survey of more than 6,000 firmware images spanning more than a decade finds no improvement in firmware security and lax security standards for the software running connected devices by Linksys, NETGEAR and other major vendors.
Hardware
Critical Flaws in VxWorks affect 200 Million Connected Things
Serious and exploitable security flaws in VxWorks, a commonly used operating system for embedded devices, span 13 years and could leave hundreds of millions* of connected devices vulnerable to remote cyber attacks and hacks. The security firm Armis on Monday published a warning about 11 critical, zero day vulnerabilities in the VxWorks operating system, which is owned and managed by the firm Wind River. The vulnerabilities expose more than 200 million devices and could allow attackers to remotely take control of everything from networked printers and security appliances to industrial and medical devices, according to Ben Seri, the Vice President of Research at Armis. Move over, EternalBlue! At least a couple of the flaws were described as “more serious” than EternalBlue, the Microsoft Windows flaw that powered both the WannaCry and NotPetya malware outbreaks. SCADA and industrial control system devices, healthcare devices like patient monitors and MRI machines, as well […]
Episode 153: Hacking Anesthesia Machines and Mayors say No to Ransoms
In this week’s podcast episode (#153): The researcher who discovered serious remote access security flaws in anesthesia machines by GE says such security holes are common. Also: the US Conference of Mayors voted unanimously to swear off paying ransoms for cyber attacks. But is that a smart idea? We’re joined by Andrew Dolan of the Multi State Information Sharing and Analysis Center to talk about it.
Breathe Deeply: DHS warns of Flaw in Hospital Anesthesia Machines
GE learned of a serious vulnerability affecting two brands of anesthesia machines in October. The company on Tuesday advised customers to take steps to protect them from being remotely tampered with.
Attack on Tesla Autopilot highlights Bigger Risk of Insecure Sensors
Researchers from the firm Regulus Cyber say that they demonstrated a type of GPS spoofing attack that caused vehicles by Tesla to veer off the road. The impact could be much broader than just Tesla, however.
