Internet-connected coffee maker leaves your PC, mornings at risk

June 20th, 2008 | Category: Household

It looks like those that enjoy a little remote control by their coffee could be unwittingly leaving both their PCs and their precious brew vulnerable, at least according to BDO risk advisory services manager Craig Wright, who found that his Jura F90 internet-connected coffee maker had several significant defense holes, including a buffer overflow in its Web connection software. That, he says, could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the PC connected to the coffee maker, not to mention control the strength of the coffee and perform unwanted diagnostics. Of course, given the number of internet-connected coffee makers out there right now, Wright admits that the potential risk is relatively low (and moot whether it’s behind a firewall), but he has some dire warnings for the future, saying that eventually “you’ll be able to turn on your oven with your mobile phone,” which he says could