Def Con hacker shows John Deere's tractors can run Doom:
A security researcher at the Def Con hacking conference got a modified version of Doom running on a John Deere tractor.
The internet has shown us that Doom can run on everything from a cardboard box to a Roomba and even a single keyboard key, but now we can add a John Deere tractor to that list. Security researcher Sick Codes worked with Doom modder Skelegant to get the game running on a John Deere tractor display and showed off some gameplay at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas.
In the video posted by Sick Codes, you can see how the game plays as a sort of transparent overlay on top of the John Deere user interface (UI). Sick Codes says the whole process took months and involved jailbreaking the Linux system used by the John Deere 4240 tractor. This version of Doom has, naturally, been modified to take place in a corn field, where the player mows down enemies on a tractor.
But Sick Codes isn't just jailbreaking tractors to get them to run Doom. According to a report from Wired, he also devised and presented a new jailbreak that gave him root access to the tractor's system. This exploit could potentially help farmers bypass software blocks that prevent them from repairing the tractor themselves, something John Deere has come under fire for in the past.
As noted by Wired, Sick Codes was able to obtain "1.5 GB worth of logs" that dealers could use to identify and diagnose problems. But he also found a way to gain root access by soldering controllers directly to the tractor's circuit board. Unfortunately, gaining root access isn't all that simple without the right equipment, but Sick Codes told Wired "it would be possible to develop a tool based on the vulnerabilities to more easily execute the jailbreak."
(Score: 2) by Frosty Piss on Thursday August 18 2022, @10:18AM (6 children)
But so what? The issues with John Deere and their proprietary software goes way beyond being able to hack it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Opportunist on Thursday August 18 2022, @10:56AM (5 children)
Pretty much this. It's pointless that I can hack it, as long as I would still get locked up for claiming what I allegedly own, the shit is FUBAR.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by canopic jug on Thursday August 18 2022, @11:44AM (4 children)
Not so recently The EFF stopped fighting these problems [eff.org], and just lets your rights continue to erode as they are no longer fighting to keep those rights recognized in a digital or online setting. The specific section causing the trouble for tractor modding here is 17 U.S. Code § 1201 - Circumvention of copyright protection systems [cornell.edu], from the DMCA. Sure, you can hack it and modify it to your heart's content, but if you show anyone how to do it, your ass is going to jail -- along with the rest of you. Keeping the techniques to yourself aren't much more protection in that regard if the authorities or the vendor finds out anyway. The penalties are upto $500k and 5 years in jail for the first offense [cornell.edu] and double that for any additional offenses.
The US became afflicted with the DMCA in 1998 [copyright.gov], but the skunkworks started years earlier as it is based on two international treaties, the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. In that way, the DMCA is just one example of many as to why it is so important to pay attention to international politics, and require that treaty negotiation is done in the open, not in secret, anti-democratic conspiracies.
Heads up! There is stuff in the pipeline now which will kick in ten years from now if allowed to get into the system through inaction or any other reasons.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Opportunist on Thursday August 18 2022, @12:40PM (3 children)
Why would my country lock me up because of a law abroad that doesn't apply to me? Actually, our copyright law specifically allows disassembly and reverse engineering for "[establishing the] interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs" (source [bka.gv.at], in German).
In other words, I may decompile and reverse engineer your product provided I have to do it to create an independent program that wants to do what your program does or wants to interface with your hard- or software.
And no, you can't waive that right, no matter what's in your contract.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by canopic jug on Thursday August 18 2022, @01:55PM (2 children)
Why would my country lock me up because of a law abroad that doesn't apply to me?
Simply put, because one or more large companies would ask it of them.
I refer you to the example that was made of Jon Lech Johansen aka "DVD Jon".
He was prosecuted more or less under the DMCA because the EUCD was in the works. His prosecution was despite being in Europe, and thus outside the jurisdiction of the DMCA and the EUCD not having been passed yet. Furthermore, even if the EUCD had been in effect, Norway is not part of the EU. Then to top it off, he was prosecuted for facilitating copying of DVDs, and over the years I have seen only two articles -- ever -- which pointed out that he facilitated playback. The press, whether fringe or mainstrean, all fell for the red herring of copying. Since DVDs as a storage medium are based on an open standard, one can easily copy the whole DVD accurately and without loss using any number of tools.
There are any number of conflicting laws and regulations affecting Austria and other EU member states. The lawyers will have an easy time cherry picking which parts they wish to pursue. As they say in the US, "you may beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride." [haslettlaw.com]
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Opportunist on Thursday August 18 2022, @02:02PM
Like I said, the law of my country says I can do it and I can't waive that right. Handing out that info may be tricky, but if I create a piece of independent software that makes use of that knowledge by, say, fixing a "bug" in your vehicle (read: allowing me to make it operational again without paying the extortion money), that's something I can give to you.
Yes, even for money.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by RS3 on Thursday August 18 2022, @03:06PM
Several things: "DVD Jon" persecution happened in his country Norway (as you alluded to), not Germany. Perhaps Norway is more prone to being patsy to big corporations?
It happened in 2002; hopefully things since then have changed for the better, in Norway and Europe generally.
I would like to see our (USA's) legislature make a distinction between copying creative works (writing, music, movies, etc.) and functional software. I'm not okay with people copying code to make a competitive product- that should obviously be illegal.
But I'm strongly in favor of allowing people to reverse-engineer anything commercially available. In fact, and I need to think about it more, but I might want to require companies like Deere to publish annotated / documented code, just like any service manual for something physical / mechanical.
Here's another (hopefully very rational) angle: I can invent a physical thing and patent it. You can see it, modify it, hack it, even copy it, whatever, as long as you don't sell copies (or somehow use them to hurt my sales).
Bottom line: I think the govt. has it very wrong to conflate software with creative works under copyright protections.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday August 18 2022, @04:05PM
Clearly, Duke Nuk'em 3D would be a better choice for tractor users.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 18 2022, @08:28PM
Why aren't these guys breaking into and revealing Russian/Chinese shit? Show us what you got.. let us play Doom on one of their mission control terminals