New hi-tech hacks target locks, webcams and TVs

New hi-tech hacks target locks, webcams and TVs

New hi-tech hacks target locks, webcams and TVs

At this year's Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, hackers have turned their attention to the home - showing how to control everything from burglar alarms to TVs.

“You are about to enter one of the most hostile environments in the world,” says the ticket. “Do not use the Wi-Fi network. Change your passwords immediately after leaving Las Vegas.”

The annual Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas is a Mecca for hackers - where security researchers and self-styled hackers show off vulnerabilities in everything from PCs to hotel door lock systems.

This year, hackers have turned their attention on the home - hacking everything from door locks to burglar alarms to televisions. One group even showed how to hack an electronic toilet.

One researcher showed off an Ocean’s Eleven-style hack that allows people to “replace” the video in surveillance cameras.

Is your smart TV watching you? 

“Smart TVs” - internet-connected televisions - can be hacked, according to researcher SeungJin Lee, allowing attackers to “watch” families through webcams, and working even if the victims try to turn the set off.

More than 80 million Smart TVs sold around the world in 2012, Lee says - but, “we hardly see security research on Smart TVs.” Lee showed off an attack on a Samsung television that allowed him to insert fake news stories into a Smart TV’s internet browser.

Hacking your front door

There are 200,000 “home automation systems” in UK homes, allowing people to unlock their front door with a touch of a button - but researchers warn that it’s all too easy for hackers to do the same.

 “Connecting things to a network opens up a whole range of vectors of attack, and when you are talking door locks, garage doors, and alarm controls it gets scary,” says Trustwave consultant Daniel Crowley. “If someone can access your home network, but doesn’t have a key to your home, they can still unlock your door and get in,” Crowley said of what he found in gear on the market.

All  hacker needs to do is break into a home network - either through badly protected wireless routers, or malware on a PC.

The “Black Widow” iPhone charger which hacks your phone in 60 seconds

Watch where you charge your iPhone. Georgia Tech researchers have shown off a charger which silently hacks any iPhone plugged into it, inserting an infected version of the Facebook app which then spies on users.