Add Metal Detectors To Hacked Items List
January 3, 2022
It is a horrifying (and not surprising) fact that with the correct technology skills, bad actors can hack into anything. The obvious targets are security cameras, financial institution systems, mobile devices, and now metal detectors. Gizmodo reports that, “Walk-Through Metal Detectors Can Be Hacked, New Research Finds.”
Metal detectors are key security tools used by airports, convention centers, banks, schools, prisons, government buildings, and more. White hat researchers discovered that Garrett manufactured metal detectors contain nine software vulnerabilities. Hackers can exploit these security flaws to offline, alter data, or upset the metal detectors’ functionality.
Garrett received bad news about the vulnerability:
“Unfortunately, according to researchers with Cisco Talos, Garrett’s widely used iC module is in trouble. The product, which provides network connectivity to two of the company’s popular walk-through detectors (the Garrett PD 6500i and the Garrett MZ 6100), basically acts as a control center for the detector’s human operator: using a laptop or other interface, an operator can use the module to remotely control a detector, as well as engage in “real-time monitoring and diagnostics,” according to a website selling the product.”
The good news is that if Garrett updates its software, the security threats are neutralized. Bad actors exploit weaknesses for money, fame, and fun. It would be within their wheelhouse to shut down metal detectors in a major airport or important government building to see the resulting chaos. Knowing the mentality of these bad actor, they would be stupid enough to brag about it online.
Whitney Grace, January 3, 2022
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