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For years, a backdoor in popular KiwiSDR product gave root to project developer:
KiwiSDR is hardware that uses a software-defined radio to monitor transmissions in a local area and stream them over the Internet. A largely hobbyist base of users does all kinds of cool things with the playing-card-sized devices. For instance, a user in Manhattan could connect one to the Internet so that people in Madrid, Spain, or Sydney, Australia, could listen to AM radio broadcasts, CB radio conversations, or even watch lightning storms in Manhattan.
On Wednesday, users learned that for years, their devices had been equipped with a backdoor that allowed the KiwiSDR creator—and possibly others—to log in to the devices with administrative system rights. The remote admin could then make configuration changes and access data not just for the KiwiSDR but in many cases to the Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, or other computing devices the SDR hardware is connected to.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Monday July 19 2021, @05:49PM
I know for a fact that our desk phones at a particular company I worked for were capable of undetectable audio monitoring of any room they were in: no lights, no clicks, doesn't matter if the phone is in use or not.
I also openly discussed that fact and other things you wouldn't say to the CEOs face in public, not to piss him off, but because A) they don't really have the wetware bandwidth to listen to every hour of noise in every mid level engineer's office, and B) anything they did hear they couldn't openly acknowledge hearing without acknowledging that they are listening to their employees covertly. Whether it's legal or not, that would be really bad for morale.
They never acknowledged hearing anything that was said, if they ever did my response would have included the prepared phrase: "well, I'm honored that you think me worthy of listening to like that."
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