Hackers can infect network-connected wrenches to install ransomware | Researchers identify 23 vulnerabilities, some of which can exploited with no authentication

arstechnica.com Hackers can infect network-connected wrenches to install ransomware

Researchers identify 23 vulnerabilities, some of which can exploited with no authentication.

Hackers can infect network-connected wrenches to install ransomware | Researchers identify 23 vulnerabilities, some of which can exploited with no authentication::Researchers identify 23 vulnerabilities, some of which can exploited with no authentication.

25 comments

Ok. Why tf does a wrench need to be network connected?
- I'm assuming it's a torque wrench, which can apply variable force to a bolt.
  
  Scan a barcode next to the hole, insert bolt, wrench applies correct force for the piece.
  They can also similarly check the tightness of the bolt and record what it measured for quality control.
  
  Every bolt doesn't use the same torque, and manually inputting the value is slower and more error prone.
  Similarly, checking the torque and recording that it was correct and fixing any errors is slower and more error prone with manual lookup.
  
  Scan a barcode next to the hole, insert bolt, wrench applies correct force for the piece.
  
  The why not just have the barcode have all of that information encoded in it and not reference a database on a network?
- For efficiency and quality of service. If you have to tighten a hundreds of fasteners with specific amounts of torque then this would make the work go much more quicker than using a manual torque wrench.
  
  That does not require an internet connection.
- For firmware updates I guess (/s)
- Because nobody funds hardware if they can’t get MRR.
- I have no earthly idea, but feels like “‘Cuz we can”.
- Anti-theft
This really isn't shocking news. Tons of industrial devices have poor or out of date security. This is why you always segment off your Operational Technology on your network.
This is the best summary I could come up with:

Researchers have unearthed nearly two dozen vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to sabotage or disable a popular line of network-connected wrenches that factories around the world use to assemble sensitive instruments and devices.

The vulnerabilities, reported Tuesday by researchers from security firm Nozomi, reside in the Bosch Rexroth Handheld Nutrunner NXA015S-36V-B.

The cordless device, which wirelessly connects to the local network of organizations that use it, allows engineers to tighten bolts and other mechanical fastenings to precise torque levels that are critical for safety and reliability.

The Nutrunner provides a torque-level indicator display that’s backed by a certification from the Association of German Engineers and adopted by the automotive industry in 1999.

The malware could then be used to disable entire fleets of the devices or to cause them to tighten fastenings too loosely or tightly while the display continues to indicate the critical settings are still properly in place.

The vulnerabilities found on the Bosch Rexroth NXA015S-36V-B allow an unauthenticated attacker who is able to send network packets to the target device to obtain remote execution of arbitrary code (RCE) with root privileges, completely compromising it.

The original article contains 344 words, the summary contains 187 words. Saved 46%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Why is the wrench in space?
- Your wrenches aren't in space?
- Just let him cook
How did people ever survive before the internet I'll never know.

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