Read more: http://www.itworldcanada.com/slideshow/the-7-most-fascinating-research-findings-revealed-at-the-black-hat-security-conference#ixzz3zrkGR0iN or visit http://www.itworldcanada.com for more Canadian IT News

1. The 7 most fascinating research
findings revealed at the Black
Hat security conference

2. IoT threats — Via a Printer?
A researcher who works at Red Balloon Security
worked with Columbia University to show how
the Internet of Things could be used to steal
data by rapidly turning on and off the outputs
from I/O pins on chips within the printer. The
resulting signal strong enough to pass through
a concrete wall and beyond to a receiver, Ang
Cui said.

3. Hack First, Shoot Later
Independent security researcher Runa Sandvik
and her husband Michael Augur discussed how
they hacked a Wi-Fi connected TrackingPoint
rifle, misdirecting the targeting system so that
the wrong person might get shot. The effort
took more than a year, though they concluded
the risk of such a hack happening is relatively
low.

4. Pain at the pump
Trend Micro researchers Kyle Wilhoit and
Stephen Hilt presented findings about how a
honeypot they set up showed the way gas
station pumps could be used to plan DDoS and
other attacks that could bring inventory and
control systems to a standstill. The researchers
suggested that, despite their prevalence, gas
pumps were not recognized as an attack vector
and under-protected as a result.

5. A Cure for UAF attacks?
Brian Gorenc, manager of vulnerability research
for HP Security Research, showed how isolated
heap memory protection works on Windows
and how objects are located on a system. The
result of his team’s work could be techniques to
reduce use-after-free (UAF) attacks, which
allow hackers to execute arbitrary code and
take over a system.

6. The Satellite Scenario
Synack security staffer Colby Moore showed
how a data protocol flaw in Globalstar satellite
transmissions means cybercriminals could alter
messages to send pilots, wilderness hikers and
even armoured trucks might be sent off course.
The technique alters the apparent location of
the assets being tracked by Globalstar
equipment.

7. Trouble At The Wheel
People tend to think it’ll be hard to break
into their car if they keep their keys close,
but ethical hackers Charlie Miller, a security
researcher at Twitter, and Chris Valasek,
director of vehicle security research at
IOActive, provided an inside look at how
wireless signals could be hijacked to not
only access vehicles remotely but
completely control them.

8. Home, Smart (But Dangerous) Home
The short-wave wireless communication
standard has become a promising way to turn
Internet of Things (IoT) dreams into a reality,
but researchers at Cognosec outlined an
unsecure initial key transport that would make
it possible to compromise ZigBee networks and
take control of all connected devices, such
motion sensors, light switches or door locks.