Bitcoin extortion has a new trick, Canon SLR was hacked by hackers, but white hats used a vulnerability to redeem the photos

Including the hacker hacking and Bitcoin extortion incidents a few years ago, everyone may feel that these news are too far away from them or the probability is too small, so they just listen to them.

But what if I tell you that this item that you often play with and take good care of is likely to be infected?

According to the National Enquirer, a group of security researchers successfully exploited a vulnerability in the Canon EOS 80D digital camera and used Bitcoin to redeem the camera owner's photos. (Original report: https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3080359/canon-dslr-ransomware )

This action may "open the door" to hackers

With the development of technology, most cameras now support transferring pictures via WiFi connection, eliminating the trouble of forgetting to bring a card reader or USB.

This function is called PTP/IP (Internet Picture Transfer Protocol). However, while this function is convenient for users, it is also prone to security risks. Because when you enjoy the convenience of WiFi transmission and no longer disdain to use USB transmission, you may be targeted by hackers. Because image transmission based on the Internet provides hackers with a valuable attack vector.

why is that?

As the review study points out, PTP is an unauthenticated protocol that supports dozens of complex commands. As such, it could be abused by hackers to inject malicious code into unsuspecting cameras.

In this particular vulnerability, our researchers were able to set up a ransomware program over WiFi that encrypts the camera’s storage.

When the attack is launched, only a ransom message will be left on the camera screen, requiring the owner to exchange the photos for Bitcoin, otherwise the photos will be destroyed or published or used for other purposes. (Friends who are interested can watch the hacking practice on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75fVog7MKgg )

But there is no need to worry too much. Although this may seem a bit scary, research shows that the possibility of hackers successfully exploiting this particular vulnerability for ransom is very slim.

Generally speaking, photographers will not use WiFi to transfer pictures unless they have no other choice. After all, compared with directly transferring pictures via SD card into the computer, the WiFi transmission speed is really much slower.

On the other hand, the researchers informed Canon of the vulnerability. Canon responded quickly and released a camera firmware patch and a security warning notice in the past week or so. However, it is not clear whether other brands of cameras will have this vulnerability?

Similarly, today's various emerging technologies help us make progress, but at the same time we also hope to avoid bringing new hidden dangers to everyone as much as possible, and even if harmful vulnerabilities appear, they can be discovered and remedied in time.

Produced by | Blockchain Camp (blockchain_camp)