A recent study revealed that walk-through metal detectors can be hacked easily. You must have seen this type of metal detector in different places. Especially in high-security areas. Authorities set them in the entrance of a place to prevent incoming threats.
So when someone walks through the machine, it scans the person’s body. If the person carries any harmful metal or explosive, the device alerts quickly. For a long time, these devices have been securing many important places like government buildings, airports, railway stations, courts, schools, etc.
Garrett is a renowned metal detector producer company. It is a US-based company. Their metal detectors are used all over the US. But a recent study by Cisco’s Talos found some dangerous software bugs in Garrett’s metal detector system.
The intelligence group is claiming that these metal detectors’ software systems are really weak. They are so vulnerable to hacking. Two famous models of this manufacturer are at high risk. They are PD6500i and MZ6100.
Both can be operated from far. A human operator can remotely control them by a computer. The main problem is in the IC. Cisco Talos reported that the IC is the weakest part of Garrett’s metal detectors.
By running an infected code, a hacker can shut down the scanner easily. Not just that, the scanning result can be altered if the hacker wants. This way detecting something harmful from a carrier becomes impossible.
You can never imagine what can be the result of this type of hacking. As these devices are for highly secure places, A criminal can easily carry explosives in a restricted area. So the manufacturers should take proper actions to fix them as quickly as possible.
As the problem occurs from a weak IC, It can’t be so difficult to fix. Garrett has not responded to this claim yet. As a result, the vulnerability remains, and anytime the walk-through metal detectors can be hacked. This is a serious issue. So it should be handled with utmost priority.
