Shodan Search Engine?

[LongBlade]

I ran across an article discussing a new search engine and its possible issues.

Problem is, every time I try to hit its website I can't get to it so I can't validate whether the article is real (though CNN is generally reliable in these matters).

Anyway, something to keep an eye on:

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/08/technology/security/shodan/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Unlike Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), which crawls the Web looking for websites, Shodan navigates the Internet's back channels. It's a kind of "dark" Google, looking for the servers, webcams, printers, routers and all the other stuff that is connected to and makes up the Internet.

Shodan runs 24/7 and collects information on about 500 million connected devices and services each month.

It's stunning what can be found with a simple search on Shodan. Countless traffic lights, security cameras, home automation devices and heating systems are connected to the Internet and easy to spot.

Shodan searchers have found control systems for a water park, a gas station, a hotel wine cooler and a crematorium. Cybersecurity researchers have even located command and control systems for nuclear power plants and a particle-accelerating cyclotron by using Shodan.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Its a big failure of operating systems that all that stuff is open to find. For example maybe someone finds your sound card. Maybe they reprogram it to use your speakers as mics. Now they can listen to everything that happens in your house. Windy is eating beans again.

At some point there is a huge backlash that people are finding their tech is used against them. All the tech companies start going out of business. They failed in their duty to make safe devices for their customers. They are all unemployed. Go pick lettuce.

[eyebiter]

Make you think twice before buying a smart tv or other internet connected appliance.

[MIGMaster]

You'd think that they would be sued for using the Shodan name...

[LongBlade]

Its a big failure of operating systems that all that stuff is open to find. For example maybe someone finds your sound card. Maybe they reprogram it to use your speakers as mics. Now they can listen to everything that happens in your house. Windy is eating beans again.

At some point there is a huge backlash that people are finding their tech is used against them. All the tech companies start going out of business. They failed in their duty to make safe devices for their customers. They are all unemployed. Go pick lettuce.

I agree about the backlash.

I'm not so worried about some bozo script kiddie living in his mom's basement listening in on my speakers. He's a doofus but not a problem.

[Staggerwing]

It'd more likely be the plethora of three-letter-acronyms that should give one pause.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

You'd think that they would be sued for using the Shodan name...

Shodan is an old Japanese word, nobody can TM it. well, maybe they can, Nestle TMed "Pure Life" which is a national saying in Costa Rica. God knows how long they have been saying that. It like Americans saying howdy.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Its a big failure of operating systems that all that stuff is open to find. For example maybe someone finds your sound card. Maybe they reprogram it to use your speakers as mics. Now they can listen to everything that happens in your house. Windy is eating beans again.

At some point there is a huge backlash that people are finding their tech is used against them. All the tech companies start going out of business. They failed in their duty to make safe devices for their customers. They are all unemployed. Go pick lettuce.

I agree about the backlash.

I'm not so worried about some bozo script kiddie living in his mom's basement listening in on my speakers. He's a doofus but not a problem.

Its not so harmless. Most people will talk about work at home. It could lead to insider trading. Industrial espionage. An actress could give a tabloid the scoop on her boob job talking to hubby. All kinds of issues could come up.

[LongBlade]

Its a big failure of operating systems that all that stuff is open to find. For example maybe someone finds your sound card. Maybe they reprogram it to use your speakers as mics. Now they can listen to everything that happens in your house. Windy is eating beans again.

At some point there is a huge backlash that people are finding their tech is used against them. All the tech companies start going out of business. They failed in their duty to make safe devices for their customers. They are all unemployed. Go pick lettuce.

I agree about the backlash.

I'm not so worried about some bozo script kiddie living in his mom's basement listening in on my speakers. He's a doofus but not a problem.

Its not so harmless. Most people will talk about work at home. It could lead to insider trading. Industrial espionage. An actress could give a tabloid the scoop on her boob job talking to hubby. All kinds of issues could come up.

I was thinking more along Stagger's line of thought.

Agreed - it won't be perfectly harmless. But I'm more concerned about civil liberties being observed by those whose job is to observe the law than some loser in his mom's basement.

Once the good guys get out of the business of being in everyone's business for no good reason...then we can tighten up security on this stuff.

[LongBlade]

On a side note - has anyone been able to hit their web page? It's timed out every time I've tried.

[Centurion40]

Make you think twice before buying a smart tv or other internet connected appliance.

What??!!  Do you think that "they" might be watching me, or listening to me via my wifi connected Blu-Ray player??!!  Yikes!  Probably a good thing that you can't get porn on Netflix!!

[LongBlade]

Make you think twice before buying a smart tv or other internet connected appliance.

What??!!  Do you think that "they" might be watching me, or listening to me via my wifi connected Blu-Ray player??!!  Yikes!  Probably a good thing that you can't get porn on Netflix!!

I resolve all doubt by using a laptop with a camera and mic. If DHS needs to watch me pick my nose while I surf the forums at least I'll have the satisfaction of knowing I'm contributing to a jobs program for otherwise unemployed domestic spies.

[GDS_Starfury]

Id just like the royalties from people watching me watch porn.
I might never have to work again. 

[LongBlade]

This story ran a couple of days ago.

According to RT.com, the IRS will begin checking taxpayers' Facebook and Twitter pages to glean any information that might lead to an audit.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2013/04/09/is-irs-stalking-on-social-media/

The story indicated that the IRS would only check if you were flagged for an audit. Also, in the story, the IRS denied it would do any checking on social media.

However, watching the news this morning there was a report that the IRS could check *all* online cloud-based accounts - including email - without a warrant.

That's troubling. If it's true that pretty well suggests that the government will conduct panty raids against every electronic transaction for any reason without any kind of check and balance against it.

What's weird is we're not hearing much reporting about this, nor is there seemingly much interest in objecting by the public.

I'm more than happy to wait for further confirmation in the media before I conclude it's happening, but if it's true it could be the catalyst needed to start rolling back all these intrusions on civil liberty.

[LongBlade]

Myth confirmed.

This is an incredible overreach of government power. Let's hope the public rallies against it.

The Internal Revenue Service believes it doesn't need permission to root through emails, texts or other forms of electronic correspondence, according to recently released internal agency documents.

The documents, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union, reveal that tax department agents have been operating under the assumption that they can bypass warrants. The ACLU claims this would in turn violate the Fourth Amendment.

According to a 2009 IRS employee handbook, though, the tax agency said the Fourth Amendment does not protect emails because Internet users don't "have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such communications."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/11/irs-tells-agents-it-can-snoop-on-emails-without-warrant-internal-documents-show/