Attack of the Toothbrushes: Beware of sloppy IoT

[Marc_G]

Electric toothbrushes used as malware bots.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/3-mil...ns-in-damage-due-to-DDoS-attack.800810.0.html

 

[CalebJ]

Apparently the whole thing is a rehash/telephone game of an originally made up story.

 

[Hobie1dog]

That is definitely hard to believe.

 

[Bill S]

Why in the world would anyone want an "smart" toothbrush, let alone one connected to the Internet? Amazingly silly.

 

[cerving]

The only smart toothbrushes that I've found are Bluetooth connected to an app on your phone... it's possible that the app is insecure if it's connected to the Internet.

"Internet connected" devices kind of remind me of the "jet" thing after WW2... anything that had "jet" in the name was "modern" and HAD to be good. Ditto for anything "space" after 1957. Pretty sure that marshmallows aren't really puffed by a jet...

 

[droopy]

Classic...

 

[dr wogz]

The only smart toothbrushes that I've found are Bluetooth connected to an app on your phone... it's possible that the app is insecure if it's connected to the Internet.

"Internet connected" devices kind of remind me of the "jet" thing after WW2... anything that had "jet" in the name was "modern" and HAD to be good. Ditto for anything "space" after 1957. Pretty sure that marshmallows aren't really puffed by a jet...

except for Whitby jet.. that goes back to Victorian times.. (and is still fashionable among the goth crowd)

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

This reporting sounds sketchy to me.

 

[Steven]

A bit of overbite.

 

[Marc_G]

Maybe someone asked ChatGPT to write a story about smart toothbrushes and security risks...

 

[Donnager]

Not aware of toothbrushes, but I don't understand the (desired) importance of making a connection between a refrigerator and a phone, so an ice maker filter can give you a notification...on your phone.

I always figured I could tell if the water tasted bad. When they get a smart sensor to tell you when the ice cubes start tasting like your frozen egg rolls, maybe they will have something.

 

[jsdemar]

This was a hypothetical scenario that somehow turned into a real story.

https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-offi...ed-in-a-ddos-attack-but-they-could-have-been/

 

[NateB]

Not aware of toothbrushes, but I don't understand the (desired) importance of making a connection between a refrigerator and a phone, so an ice maker filter can give you a notification...on your phone.

I only want a smart refrigerator that can tell me what I can cook with whatever is already in the fridge or pantry. Even then, I wouldn't pay extra for it.

 

[Marc_G]

My latest washing machine is "smart" in that I could connect to it via an app, and program in a specialty cycle. The only way to program that cycle is by an app. That slot on the cycle select dial is useless without the app. I don't bother with it.

 

[Donnager]

I only want a smart refrigerator that can tell me what I can cook with whatever is already in the fridge or pantry. Even then, I wouldn't pay extra for it.

I guess if you had a fridge that could scan its contents and make recipe recommendations, that would be smart, AND helpful.

Most smart devices are helpful to their manufacturer about their data collection.

 

[prfesser]

I only want a smart refrigerator that can tell me what I can cook with whatever is already in the fridge or pantry. Even then, I wouldn't pay extra for it.

I think there's an app for that. Literally. Take a photo of what's in your fridge and it will tell you what you can make.

 

[Donnager]

I think there's an app for that. Literally. Take a photo of what's in your fridge and it will tell you what you can make.

Or at least, what you can try to make. I can fail with any ingredients.

 

[prfesser]

Or at least, what you can try to make. I can fail with any ingredients.

I could follow up with something about my wife's cooking at this point...but anything on the internet...is on there forever. So I won't. It would be evil, unwholesome, unkind, so I won't say it.

 

[Donnager]

I could follow up with something about my wife's cooking at this point...but anything on the internet...is on there forever. So I won't. It would be evil, unwholesome, unkind, so I won't say it.

Fair enough.

 

[Azamiryou]

Not aware of toothbrushes, but I don't understand the (desired) importance of making a connection between a refrigerator and a phone, so an ice maker filter can give you a notification...on your phone.

I agree.

Well, there are a handful of things where I can see advantages to a phone app... but it would work just as well on a local network with no internet connection.

If I could connect my clothes washer to our home network and have it send a notification to my phone when the cycle is finished, that would be great. But I want that to work without a connection to the internet. The only reason to require it to go through an outside server is to collect data. No thank you!

There are several smart devices I wouldn't mind getting if only they were smart enough to do their work without an internet connection.

 

[Donnager]

I agree.

Well, there are a handful of things where I can see advantages to a phone app... but it would work just as well on a local network with no internet connection.

If I could connect my clothes washer to our home network and have it send a notification to my phone when the cycle is finished, that would be great. But I want that to work without a connection to the internet. The only reason to require it to go through an outside server is to collect data. No thank you!

There are several smart devices I wouldn't mind getting if only they were smart enough to do their work without an internet connection.

And that handful of things is, exactly what?

My ice gets formed when water gets cold. I don't need an app to tell me this.

I have doubts that an ice maker or a clothes washer can tell me anything of substance. Smart devices can, however mine data in the mean time.

 

[Marc_G]

And that handful of things is, exactly what?

My ice gets formed when water gets cold. I don't need an app to tell me this.

I have doubts that an ice maker or a clothes washer can tell me anything of substance. Smart devices can, however mine data in the mean time.

A smart refrigerator can do one important thing: email/text when out of range temps are detected. However, there are inexpensive solutions that don't rely on the fridge. I went this route.

 

[Azamiryou]

And that handful of things is, exactly what?

Notifications, mostly. Clothes cycle done. You left the fridge door open. Your reheated coffee is getting cold in the microwave. Beeps and buzzers don't work as well if I'm at the other end of the house.

Another use case is having additional settings options in an app, allowing for a simpler control panel.

 

[Donnager]

Notifications, mostly. Clothes cycle done. You left the fridge door open. Your reheated coffee is getting cold in the microwave. Beeps and buzzers don't work as well if I'm at the other end of the house.

Another use case is having additional settings options in an app, allowing for a simpler control panel.

Ok.

But there is a light in the fridge that illuminates at the same time that it opens. I find that this and the door position is sufficient. With modern fridges, there's probably an alarm that will sound if the door is open. Why would I look at my phone, or look for it to learn the same.

I'm really not arguing, I just see this as a solution looking for a problem. Most of this is attempts at data collection, not assistance with our appliances.

 

[rcktnut]