Skip to main content

Your lightbulbs can be hacked to breach your Wi-Fi network

TP-Link’s popular smart lightbulb and its companion mobile app were found to be carrying multiple high-severity flaws which could allow hackers to gain access to the connected Wi-Fi network.

That, in turn, could allow threat actors to access other endpoints on the network, which could give them access to sensitive data, or allow them to deploy different malware and ransomware.

This is according to cybersecurity researchers from the Italian Universita di Catania, and their peers from the University of London. As reported by BleepingComputer, the researchers from these two universities analyzed the "top-selling" TP-Link Tapo L530E and its companion app, which has approximately 10 million installations on Google Play alone.

Four vulnerabilities

In total, the researchers uncovered four vulnerabilities. The first two (severity scores 8.8 and 7.6.) could be chained to impersonate the lightbulb on the network, and thus retrieve the Tapo user account details. This information can then be used to extract the target’s Wi-Fi SSD and password. 

The fourth vulnerability can be used to launch so-called replay attacks, which the attackers can use to make functional changes in the lightbulb.

Read more

> A new Mirai variant is attacking Linux devices to build a beastly DDoS botnet

 > Mirai botnet now targeting critical flaw in thousands of routers

 > These are the best firewalls around

The researchers said they reached out to TP-Link with their findings, which the company subsequently acknowledged. It also said that it would release a patch soon. Other than that, TP-Link is currently silent on the matter, BleepingComputer concluded. 

Smart devices and home appliances could be a great way to automate some of the more mundane household tasks, but they also present unique security challenges. Cybersecurity researchers agree that these devices should be kept on a separate network and that they should always be up-to-date.

Recently, its was found that many older Canon printers carry a flaw that allow others to access the Wi-Fi SSIDs and passwords stored in their memory. It therefore warned users to make sure to delete all network information prior to discarding or reselling the affected models.

Via: BleepingComputer



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The latest Apple TV 4K test lets you watch four sports streams at once

Apple is trying something new with the latest beta version of tvOS 16.5: the option to watch up to four simultaneous streams at once. Right now it's limited to live sports streamed through the Apple TV app on the Apple TV 4K , specifically MLB Friday Night Baseball and the MLS Season Pass. A multi-view option was spotted in the tvOS software last month, but the code was hidden and not enabled. MacRumors reported that the feature would be enabled this weekend, and beta testers have since been able to use it. As yet multi-view hasn't been officially announced by Apple, but it's expected that tvOS 16.5 is going to be pushed out in its final form within the next month or so. WWDC 2023 is around the corner as well, when we should be hearing about the next major updates for Apple's various operating systems – including tvOS 17. How it works Over at 9to5Mac there's a hands-on demonstrating how the multi-view feature works, and it's pretty much as you would expe...
Post a Comment
Read more

TechRadar's Year in Review: AI revolution, smartphone evolution, and visions of the future

If I had to sum up 2023 in one word it would be AI. Okay, technically that’s two initials, but let’s not quibble – because there’s no doubt that it provided the year in tech with its main story arc. Artificial intelligence was everywhere this year, as every company in the world gawped at the massive impact of ChatGPT, and decided they wanted to jump aboard that bandwagon. You could barely move for new chatbots, new image generators, and new AI-enhanced features in every device released in 2023. And there’s no sign of that changing in 2024; in fact, we expect it to be an even bigger deal. Elsewhere, phones and laptops did much the same as they had the previous year – well, except where they had new AI-enhanced features – so it was in the virtual reality space where bigger changes were afoot. If the Meta Quest 3 was impressive then the Apple Vision Pro looks to be genuinely game-changing, and we can’t wait to see what impact it has in the next 12 months. Of course we also saw plenty ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Garmin's new radar-equipped tail light will keep you safe on your e-bike

Garmin's Varia bike radars are some of the most popular pieces of cycling tech around – and now the company has delivered its first rearview radar to have been specially designed for some of the best e-Bikes .   Garmin's Varia range mounts to the back of your bike and broadcasts a radar signal behind you, so you can get visual and audible alerts when something's overtaking you. Even better, the new Varia eRTL615 plugs directly into most e-bikes, with no battery required. Because the catchily-named Varia eRTL615 is also a tail light, it'll also make sure you're visible to other vehicles too, promising to emit a flashing or solid light that's visible from up to a mile away in daylight. To connect Garmin's new radar tail light to your e-bike, you'll need to pick the right Garmin adapter cable (which isn't included). You can buy power cables compatible with Bosch, Shimano, or USB-A terminals or connections, with more info on those available on Garmin...
Post a Comment
Read more