Having a webcam in my fridge at first seemed like a dumb novelty until I used it while at the store once to see if i had the condiments i needed. I realized I could now bring up recipes at the store when i saw a certain meat on sale and see if i already had the ingredients on hand. Now im hooked and It’s now a feature I will look for down the road as new fridges are needed. Its that useful that I have added a webcam to my pantry for the same purpose now.
I think some of the comments here are just responding to the title without thinking a little more about what was needed and the consequences.
There is certainly a good case to be made that remote access to refrigeration management tech is very useful. But putting a custom app up on the open Internet is just about the absolute worst way to do it - this was basically destined to happen. This was critical infrastructure, and at the very least critical infrastructure like this should be behind a VPN or equivalent security layer.
Having a webcam in my fridge at first seemed like a dumb novelty until I used it while at the store once to see if i had the condiments i needed. I realized I could now bring up recipes at the store when i saw a certain meat on sale and see if i already had the ingredients on hand. Now im hooked and It’s now a feature I will look for down the road as new fridges are needed. Its that useful that I have added a webcam to my pantry for the same purpose now.
I think some of the comments here are just responding to the title without thinking a little more about what was needed and the consequences.
There is certainly a good case to be made that remote access to refrigeration management tech is very useful. But putting a custom app up on the open Internet is just about the absolute worst way to do it - this was basically destined to happen. This was critical infrastructure, and at the very least critical infrastructure like this should be behind a VPN or equivalent security layer.
This is like saying that ‘making a door’ was a bad idea since the thieves got in from it. Maybe the problem was leaving it unlocked?
Bless their hearts, they didn't know any better.
No one could have forseen this. Internet connected devices being hacked is literally unprecedented.
[dead]
This reads like tech commentary from someone's wine aunt.
Next we'll explore why you should unplug newfangled toasters and electric tea kettles: the hidden dangers that will burn your house down.
The specific reasons these fridges were remotely controlled has been detailed many times, including in lengthy HN comments.