A reason to run away from infrared

A vulnerability in many hotel T.V. infrared systems can allow a hacker to obtain names and room numbers of guests from the hotel billing system. The hacker could read the e-mail of guests who use web mail through the TV, putting the users at risk. Adam Laurie, technical director of the London security and networking firm The Bunker showed Wired News how he conducted such attacks at hotels around the world. Laurie is known as ‘Major Malfunction’ in the hacker community. He also revealed how infrared used for garage door openers and car-door locks could be hacked. If you are interested in getting freebies at the hotels, all you need is a laptop running Linux, an infrared transmitter and a USB TV tuner. We are sure to hear more of ‘I did not rent that movie!’