An Australian man has discovered security vulnerabilities in his Internet-connected coffee maker that could allow a remote attacker to not only take over his Windows XP-based PC but also make his coffee too weak.
Craig Wright, a risk advisory services manager at professional services firm BDO, found several security holes, including a buffer overflow in the Internet Connection software that links his Jura F90 coffee maker to his PC.
This $2,000 Jura F90 coffee maker can be connected to the Internet for remote control of the settings. But it also can open up your PC to remote attacks, a security expert says.
(Credit: Jura)Wright posted the information on the vulnerabilities, and the fact that there is no patch available yet, to the BugTraq security e-mail list on Tuesday.
A U.S.-based public relations representative for the coffee maker said she would try to reach spokespeople in the Switzerland headquarters for comment.
The threat hasn't kept Wright awake at night, although the coffee does, he said in an interview with CNET News.com at 2:30 Wednesday morning Sydney time.
"I don't know if many people would target this particular vulnerability because there probably are not a lot of coffee makers at the moment that are Internet-connected, and in my case it's behind a firewall," he said.
However, Internet-connected appliances are the wave of the future. There is already an Internet-connected refrigerator, at least one prototype of a Web-enabled oven, and pilot tests for dryers and water heaters.
Eventually "you'll be able to turn on your oven with your mobile phone" and a malicious hacker could wind up burning the house down, Wright said.
Don't drink out of the some of coffee cups at West Coast Green.
The organization running the conference ordered a bunch of paper coffee cups to use at the conference, which took place in San Francisco this week. Unfortunately, the organization ordered the cheapest ones. They came from China with a warning on the bottom: caution contains lead. Sarah Suzanka, the author of "The Not So Big Life" and one of the hosts of the conference, asked people in the audience to come up with ideas for ways to use them.
Recycling after all is a big topic here. Among other products on display are countertops made from broken bits of recycled glass (actually quite attractive) and rubber flooring for kids' rooms made from recycled tires.
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