What Was Scary About Blackhat 2017?

As you might know, at the end of July, all types of hackers came to Las Vegas to attend Blackhat 2017. During the conference, some pretty scary hacks were exposed, and we can all take this as a lesson on what we are up against in this technology-heavy world. Here are some of the scariest hacks we learned about during Blackhat 2017:

Carwash Hijacking

Nothing is safe from technology, and these days, carwashes are an unexpected target for hackers. It is perfectly possible that a car wash could be hacked, controlled remotely, and used to destroy vehicles. Scary.

Hacking Cars

Speaking of vehicles, it was also revealed how easy it is for a pro to hack automobiles. Just last year, Chinese hackers were successful in hacking a Tesla S. The hackers disabled the brakes, so Tesla updated security in its cars. However, recently, the car company was hacked again, showing that hackers always find a way.

Oculus Headsets and Hoverboards

Another scary hack participants learned about was that hackers can access hoverboards and the Oculus Rift headsets. These hacks could cause the devices to shake uncontrollably, bringing harm to those who are using them.

Printer Hacking

Michael Howard Chief Security Advisor of HP and painfully demonstrated that only 18% of IT security managers are concerned about printer security where as 90% are concerned about PC’s. That stat is one reason why ?92% of Forbes Global 2000 companies experienced a breach in 2016 which in part resulted in 4 billion records breached worldwide. According to the Ponemon Institute, 60% of data breaches reported by companies involve printers. Very scary.

The Motivation of Adversaries

We also learned that hackers wanting money, data, or intelligence aren’t their only motivation. More and more, they are motivated by the ability to manipulate people, to undermine democracy, and to wreak havoc for journalists and activists.

Wind Hacking

Wait, what? Participants at Blackhat 2017 also learned about how the bad guys are hacking the wind. Well, not actually the wind, but the systems that create wind energy. The main motivation here is money. Just one hacked turbine can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 per hour. That’s a lot of leverage for hackers who only need to hack a single turbine to demand ransom to set the turbine free.

Hacker Masquerade

Hackers are also using a savvy technique to hack phones. Chinese hackers are switching from targeting high tech LTE networks to slow 2G technology. This means, when our phone switch to a slower network, which happens if the signal isn’t strong, even if you have great security, your phone can still be hacked.

Facebook Bounties

These are some of the scariest hacks we saw at Blackhat 2017, but never fear, white hat hackers are on it. In fact, companies like Facebook are offering cash, up to $1 million, for developers who create software to keep users safe. OK, not scary. But good.