• Articles
    • Editorial Articles
    • Research Articles
    • WatchGuard Articles
  • The 443 Podcast
  • Threat Landscape
  • About
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Contribute to Secplicity

Secplicity - Security Simplified

Powered by WatchGuard Technologies

Fact-Checking Some of the Security Industry’s Flashiest Hacks

June 21, 2017 By The Editor

Hollywood sign

Hackers can pull off amazing feats in the connected age, from hacking cars and medical devices to interfering with major industrial systems and public utilities. Exaggerated versions of these hacks show up in movies, TV shows and novels, but are these flashy attacks actually possibly in the real world? 

Marc Laliberte, Information Security Threat Analyst here at WatchGuard, broke down the real and fictitious elements of four of these Hollywood hacks in his latest column in Dark Reading. He looked at car hacking, smart home takeovers, healthcare device hacking and hacking utility systems, and found that each one is a mix of fact and fiction. These attacks usually aren’t nearly as dangerous as they seem in the movies, but each one contains a kernel of truth that should concern us all.

Here’s a quick sampling of Marc’s analysis on car hacking:

There’s more fiction than fact when it comes to car hacking. Remote car takeover hacks usually target either the entertainment system or the onboard diagnostic (OBD) port and both have serious limitations. Targeting the OBD port requires either physical access to the port (i.e., sitting in the back seat with a laptop) or exploiting a third-party dongle connected to the port…But this physical proximity requirement (either in the car or within Bluetooth range) is a huge limitation for attacks.

 Read the full article in Dark Reading, or read more about car hacking, IoT device vulnerabilities or attacks targeting utilities here on Secplicity.

Share This:

Related

Filed Under: Editorial Articles, Featured

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The 443 Podcast

A weekly podcast featuring the leading white-hat hackers and security researchers. Listen Now
the 443 podcast

Threat Landscape

Filter and view Firebox Feed data by type of attack, region, country, and date range. View Now
threat landscape

Top Posts

  • Cybersecurity News: Free Cybersecurity Training, TrickBot Group Exposed, Major GoDaddy Breach, and Russia to Legalize cybercrime?!
  • US National Cybersecurity Strategy
  • Here Come The Regulations
  • Cybersecurity’s Toll on Mental Health

Email Newsletter

Sign up to get the latest security news and threat analysis delivered straight to your inbox

By signing up you agree to our Privacy Policy.


The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of WatchGuard Technologies.

Stay in Touch

Recent Posts

  • Cybersecurity News: LastPass Incident Revealed, White House Issues Cybersecurity Strategy, FBI Purchases Leaked USHOR PII Data, and a Slew of Other Breaches
  • An Update on Section 230
  • Here Come The Regulations
  • US National Cybersecurity Strategy
  • Cybersecurity News: Free Cybersecurity Training, TrickBot Group Exposed, Major GoDaddy Breach, and Russia to Legalize cybercrime?!
View All

Search

Archives

Copyright © 2023 WatchGuard Technologies · Cookie Policy · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use