Hacker Sets Off All 156 Emergency Alert Sirens in Dallas

a reply to: Quantumgamer1776

Were any banks, jewelry stores, or large drug dealers robbed last night in Dallas?

originally posted by: intrptr
Hackproof, thats a joke. As long as there a screen with a keyboard, there is going to be someone trying to get access.

It's impossible to write a secure computer program. There's always going to be some sort of input you can give it that will produce undesired results. Plus, the weakest link in a computer lies between the keyboard and the chair.

50% of hacking is social engineering and convincing people to do things.

originally posted by: TobyFlenderson
a reply to: Quantumgamer1776

Were any banks, jewelry stores, or large drug dealers robbed last night in Dallas?

Excellent... diversionary tactics.

Set a bunch of fires in dumpsters cross town, keep em busy.

Make hacking a Class 1 Felony.

Make telemarketing scams and spoofing phone numbers as part of a telemarketing scam a Class 1 Felony.

Even more simple way to stop this, put the siren system on the blockchain, that way unless the signal to sound off comes from a legit source, nothing will happen, because when someone finds a backdoor and gets in, and sends data to alter or spoof the sirens, the database / blockchain will check it's other copies of itself and see " oh this isn't right " and will ignore it or flag as error to devs to check out.

The future is pretty awesome, if we'd freaking use it.

The uniformity of the event I find to be greatly intriguing.
Either the hacker / hackers where obsessive compulsive and had to get every single siren to feel proper satisfaction and superiority or they didn't want attention drawn to a specific part of the city.

I'm hearing anything from a financial institution hack to wiping a server to cover up embezzlement.

Who know for right now. Its worth following for the next few days

a reply to: flatbush71

It almost SCREAMS under the age of 21 who did it, because of WHEN it happened and where.

It seems more like a " hey guys, look what I can do " or " heh, watch this "

it happened on a FRIDAY a few minutes till midnight...

just keeping them/you/us on our toes. forewarned is foreshadowed.

originally posted by: Discotech

originally posted by: dragonridr
a reply to: Quantumgamer1776

I think cities are going to learn they need to have people to address hacking 24 /7 . In fact businesses as well they need to start thinking about having IT available anytime.

As we move closer towards AI taking over a large portion of jobs, they're going to have to create ways which will make the AI hack proof which will be probably a more daunting task than creating the AI in the first place

You can never make anything that runs on programming hack proof. Sadly anything someone can do to secure something someone else will figure out how to bypass it.

a reply to: Tranceopticalinclined

blockchain? xD

solution to your solution:
circumvent your "blockchain" xD

those sirens are actuated by a controller, probably a SPS/PLC. The way a very popular PLC got hacked (siemens step7 wincc) was exactly that. They targeted the driver responsible for the command/control center visualisation and the operators of the plant was nipping at his coffee, unknowing of the utter destruction in the basement. That wincc tool is exactly what you propose and they fooled it.

originally posted by: flatbush71
I'm willing to bet that somewhere in the metroplex a major crime has yet to be discovered.
Stones, coins, art or maybe a dope dealer's stash is empty.

It will be interesting to see the burglary reports by the end of the day as well as insurance claims.

I remember a crack dealer called in a 100k cash theft one time, Hehe.

Buck

Same thought here. That or it was a run up to one in the near future.

Once the hacker figured out it could be done, my guess is the exploit had another hidden exploit to be triggered in the near future...that or the hacker was attempting to understand the actual chaos a hack of this nature would cause and had a future plan in mind.

As an old white hat, this is the same scenario I used to see when systems were being tested for emergency respond times.

Amidst chaos lays a perfect plan.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Just last week , I had a extended conversation with a young man who holds a whole pocket full of clearances.
My point in calling was trying to convince him that a much closer look should be made in the Atlanta area.
He pretty much shut me down because of the lack of government assets as well as contract assets in the area.

He went on to say, if this were the case , DFW would be the area of choice, due the enormous number of both civilian and government assets. I wondering now if he was already way ahead of me.

Buck

originally posted by: jtma508
Make hacking a Class 1 Felony.

Make telemarketing scams and spoofing phone numbers as part of a telemarketing scam a Class 1 Felony.

Its difficult to legislate, there's a whole bunch of unauthorized access to networks that happens every day due to how the technology works. Your computer has done it thousands of times just today. We just kind of ignore prosecuting it.

originally posted by: Tranceopticalinclined
Even more simple way to stop this, put the siren system on the blockchain, that way unless the signal to sound off comes from a legit source, nothing will happen, because when someone finds a backdoor and gets in, and sends data to alter or spoof the sirens, the database / blockchain will check it's other copies of itself and see " oh this isn't right " and will ignore it or flag as error to devs to check out.

The future is pretty awesome, if we'd freaking use it.

Bad idea. Blockchains aren't responsive enough. They also have a severe weakness to lots of computing power being thrown at them.

The main thing would to be working back as to the hell did the person get in,

Could be someone who's quit or been fired recently who knows the system or just someone bored, spend a bit of time on ShodanHQ and you can probably find enough stuff that as open as f---

As a kid in the late 70's early 80's I used to visit a family friend who lived in the local town hall (was a perk of the job and she kept it when her hubby died) and on top of the town hall was a whopping great siren that looked from the 1950's but had replaced the WW2 one and it did get tested every now and again but someone had to go up there and get it started so probably by the time someone had found the right set of keys and got to it we'd of been toast anyway.

I live in the Dallas area. My local news stated the siren system was hacked through radio frequencies, not computer.

They have put new safeguards in place (wouldn't comment on what those safeguards are) and everything is working properly.

It did scare alot of residents. We didn't have any unusual weather at the time.

I was there that night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I went outside into the dark and listened. Sounded like a part of "Theusz Hamtaahk" by Magma or a Varese piece. It was awesome. No clouds, no missiles. Just sirens. Gorgeous.