Everything is an input device (fun with barcodes)

Presented at May Contain Hackers (MCH2022), July 23, 2022, noon (30 minutes)

If we consider technology sufficiently advanced indistinguishable from magic, then the closest we get to ancient magical glyphs are barcodes. In this talk, we will show how barcodes are not just simple numbers, but can be used to control the machines.

If we consider technology sufficiently advanced indistinguishable from magic, then the closest we get to ancient magical glyphs are barcodes. In this talk, we will show how barcodes are not just simple numbers, but can be used to control the machines.

In this talk we do a brief introduction into barcodes, the way they are built, their uses and their misuses. This will be illustrated with a couple of examples of misuses in the real world.

After this, we will demonstrate how a common implementation of (barcode)-scanning is vulnerable to a deceptively simple attack, which can lead to some interesting results.


Presenters:

  • Jasper
    Cybersecurity and media are my passions. You will find me doing in-depth technical stuff like CTFs and security tests but also creating media - like podcasts, video's and events. You can check out my projects below - but even better: talk to me at MCH! Challenge The Cyber (https://challengethecyber.nl) - Events and competitions for young cyber talent. The highlight is the selection of the Dutch team to compete at the European Cyber Security Challenge against the other European countries. Wat de Hack?! Podcast (https://watdehack.nl) - A Dutch cybersecurity podcast in which we interview various people in the cyberspace in an easy-going manner to find out what they do and that their dilemmas are. My personal website: https://jasperboot.nl
  • Muse
    Hacker and horrible coder with a fondness for mechanical contraptions, weird systems and anything software with a pyhsical presence in the world. Loves finding unsual methods to attack physical objects. Breaks into boxes, systems and buildings. Likes to poke at locks occasionally. Has the patience to read manuals.

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