Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

>If the attacker has total control, then all bets are off no matter what mechanisms you put in first.

Great, so we now agree that it's important to keep the system patched and up to date.



I didn't say otherwise. Only that a forced update mechanism is insufficient for stakes as high as burning down the house. Maybe the patch fails to download/install, or they take too long to develop the patch in the first place, or the patch doesn't work for all models on the first try. There needs to be a simple kill switch if we're talking about threats like this.

Besides that, the safe mode oven should still be able to cook food manually.


Just as smart people agree that the manufacturer knows nothing about the situation at the appliance, and a forced update mechanism a la the first iteration of Windows forced updated ("update's here, restarting, too bad you're currently doing important stuff that won't be saved") is a stupid idea and outside of private use often a non-starter. That kind of condescension is generally only something you can do to private tech users.

Though I guess making the experience frustrating could keep more people from needlessly connecting everything to the network because it sound futuristic...


That depends on updates never introducing new vulnerabilities.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: