This made me realize how many devices I buy once, set up once, and then never think about again. Smart TVs are probably one of the biggest examples of that. It would be interesting if manufacturers had to make software support periods much more obvious before people bought them.
I wish I never thought of it. Just had a recent Samsung TV update, and now it has to sign in EVERY TIME it turns on. I'm considering how to frame it as a warranty job.
A tech lover has a home full of smart appliances and systems. A tech expert has a computer, a modem, a printer, and a revolver lying next to the printer in case it makes a sound they don't recognize.
What gets me is how honestly horribly written most of these scrapers are. I found one ip in my logs recently that had 50,000 attempts at the same 404, over and over every few seconds.
Yeah, I'm thinking along similar lines. I'm not all that heavily VLAN'd, but I have my devices grouped into IP address ranges with static DHCP assignments, and I'm thinking of restricting internet access for a number of those groupings.
Not op but I have an opensense box and a semi managed switch and an couple of TP-Link omada controlled ap's for wifi.
It can make management a bit difficult if you're not careful, but I have wireguard listening on all the vlans so I can bypass any restrictions on any connection it can get my laptop onto if needed.
> If I had to guess where most of this traffic is coming from, it's from compromised smart appliances contributing traffic to proxy networks.
I find it interesting that we have a moral panic over giving people access to their own smartphones, because if the user has access they may get a virus, with negative knock-on effects on the internet...
...but there is no push to remove the same capabilities from smart appliances. They can do what they want. The user doesn't have access, which appears to be what counts. The appliance has access, so its viruses can do all the same things that have to be forbidden on phones, but that doesn't matter.
There's an interesting potential future where personal computing is illegal, unless you buy a refrigerator for the purpose.
That potential future is inching ever closer to reality.
It was never about users. It's all about the corporations. They want to extract rent from their digital serfs, they want to not lose money due to fraud, piracy or whatever else, they want to push unblockable ads, etc. They have "legitimate interests", also known as lobbying power. To these guys, our interest in maintaining control over our machines, sovereignty over our digital domains, is seen as active hostility.
I think one day we'll need to cryptographically attest that our computers are corporate owned in order to even get an internet connection. It's the corporation's computer, they're just generously allowing us to use it, and only on their terms.
Based on the source country distribution I'd say it's more likely the standard Android residential VPN SDKs embedded in free apps.
The data and project looks cool but I don’t really see the link between the bulk of what’s presented and smart appliances conclusion?
This made me realize how many devices I buy once, set up once, and then never think about again. Smart TVs are probably one of the biggest examples of that. It would be interesting if manufacturers had to make software support periods much more obvious before people bought them.
I wish I never thought of it. Just had a recent Samsung TV update, and now it has to sign in EVERY TIME it turns on. I'm considering how to frame it as a warranty job.
Factory reset it then never connect to the internet. Use another device you can control for streaming
I cannot imagine ever connecting a TV or appliance to my home network. I even worry about my printer and Roku.
I vaguely remember a saying I read here once:
A tech lover has a home full of smart appliances and systems. A tech expert has a computer, a modem, a printer, and a revolver lying next to the printer in case it makes a sound they don't recognize.
Don't leave the revolver too close to the printer. It might start saying "low toner" when you go to use it.
better than it connecting to one you don't own.
Or just keep it turned off entirely? Every "smart" device I have has the option to disable WiFi/bluetooth entirely so it doesn't even show up.
What gets me is how honestly horribly written most of these scrapers are. I found one ip in my logs recently that had 50,000 attempts at the same 404, over and over every few seconds.
“Is your refrigerator running - on a botnet for AI companies?
Stainless Steel Scrapers - tonight, on Sick Sad World.”
My home appliances are all ZigBee/ZWave or ESP32-based WiFi devices. Good luck running botnets on them.
a good reminder for me to vlan properly at home.
I redid my home network this year largely to be able to get off of cloud-based cameras and properly VLAN untrusted devices.
Yeah, I'm thinking along similar lines. I'm not all that heavily VLAN'd, but I have my devices grouped into IP address ranges with static DHCP assignments, and I'm thinking of restricting internet access for a number of those groupings.
What are you using for this in the home?
Not op but I have an opensense box and a semi managed switch and an couple of TP-Link omada controlled ap's for wifi.
It can make management a bit difficult if you're not careful, but I have wireguard listening on all the vlans so I can bypass any restrictions on any connection it can get my laptop onto if needed.
> If I had to guess where most of this traffic is coming from, it's from compromised smart appliances contributing traffic to proxy networks.
I find it interesting that we have a moral panic over giving people access to their own smartphones, because if the user has access they may get a virus, with negative knock-on effects on the internet...
...but there is no push to remove the same capabilities from smart appliances. They can do what they want. The user doesn't have access, which appears to be what counts. The appliance has access, so its viruses can do all the same things that have to be forbidden on phones, but that doesn't matter.
There's an interesting potential future where personal computing is illegal, unless you buy a refrigerator for the purpose.
That potential future is inching ever closer to reality.
It was never about users. It's all about the corporations. They want to extract rent from their digital serfs, they want to not lose money due to fraud, piracy or whatever else, they want to push unblockable ads, etc. They have "legitimate interests", also known as lobbying power. To these guys, our interest in maintaining control over our machines, sovereignty over our digital domains, is seen as active hostility.
I think one day we'll need to cryptographically attest that our computers are corporate owned in order to even get an internet connection. It's the corporation's computer, they're just generously allowing us to use it, and only on their terms.
Unauthorised bread.
Drink verification can.
Would be interesting to see a movement akin to Asahi / OpenWRT that enables me to run my side project on my fridge or tv!