On a recent business trip Adam Laurie, technical director of UK-based secure hosting firm The Bunker (whose name arose because it owns a bunker, naturally), apparently got bored and did what any other thumb-twiddling security consultant might do. He got out his laptop and hacked into the hotel TV. According to an account on Wired’s web site, Laurie used the infrared port on his notebook to pose as a remote control handset, and managed to gain what sounds like root access to the hotel TV system. And the result wasn’t simply all the free porn that his eyeballs could tolerate. Many hotels use the TV as a billing system and even as an internet access device, and Laurie reports that he was able to view his fellow guests’ potentially embarrassing TV choices – no-one likes to admit to watching Ross Kemp - as well as their emails and web site visits. Sneak is not entirely clear if hacking a TV is illegal – it sounds like it must be – but Sneak for one may well “accidentally” enable the IrDA port of his own laptop come the next business trip. For evaluating security, obviously, not for free porn.

08 Aug 2005