Security researchers at the annual Black Hat 2015 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada recently presented some of their work from the previous year and it’s pretty frightening.
Two independent researchers showed how they were able to hack a rifle that uses a Linux-powered optics system. The hackers were unable to remotely make the weapon fire but were able to “access the rifle via its wireless networking capabilities and change variables, like ammunition weight, in order to trick the shooter into missing her target or hitting a different target of the hacker’s choice, reported PC Magazine.
Other researchers showed how hackers could “take over control of all connected devices on a network,” and access “connected locks, alarm system” and even lightbulbs, according to flaws discovered in ZigBee, a wireless network commonly used to connect multiple smart home devices.
In another eerie discovery, Australian computer security specialist Chris Rock, showed how easy it is for hackers to pose as doctors and funeral directors to issue a death certificate. Rock then went on to show how it’s even easier to create a false birth certificate, a process that only requires information of a doctor and parents.