Smart rifle on Linux can be hacked

Two years ago, TrackingPoint burst onto the scene with their smart rifle on Linux, which almost had a homing. Now, however, a couple of hackers figured out how to make it never hit.

The couple Runa Sandvik and Michael Auger, spent most of the year, breaking a couple of sniper rifles Tracking Point. They were able to identify vulnerabilities in software rifles, and they were able to understand how to use it remotely via the integrated Wi-Fi.

Sandvik and Auger only demonstrated that their hack allows them to do, and it’s quite an amazing thing. Once they broke the rifle, they can supply it with false information on purpose. Rifle Tracking Point uses this information to dynamically adjust the tension of the trigger. When you do not focus, click on it harder. But when the target is captured, it is only necessary to touch.

That’s how it should work, but the system is broken as a target that indicated she hackers. Fortunately, Tracking Point do not shoot themselves. At least, Sandvik and Auger could not get her to shoot for something that was not the aim without direct pulling the trigger.

But they managed to get the rifle to think that she shoots 72 pound shells. Tracking Point tried to quickly change the target, but “no matter how good you are arrows, this rifle will not fire wherever you want,” – says Sandvik.

If flawed super-intelligent sight and its algorithm is not enough guidance is difficult, and Auger Sandvik decided to go even further. They remotely lock the trigger, and then completely removed from the file system rifles, just turning it into a pile of scrap metal.