Episode 242: Hacking the Farm (and John Deere) with Sick Codes

In our latest podcast, Paul caught up with Sick Codes (@sickcodes) to talk about his now-legendary presentation at the DEF CON Conference in Las Vegas, in which he demonstrated a hack that ran the Doom first person shooter on a John Deere 4240 touch-screen monitor. Software security often operates in a zone that is well removed from the understanding and awareness of the general public. DEF CON, the annual DEF CON hacking conference, makes a point to bridge that divide in awareness and understanding. The show, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, is renowned for dramatic demonstrations of software security weaknesses designed to grab the public’s attention: from the late, great Barnaby Jack demonstrating flaws in automated tellers by forcing one to spit out a steam of bills on stage, to Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek’s demonstration video of a Jeep Cherokee being driven off the road via remote software attack.  Feel Good Ukraine Tractor Story Highlights Ag Cyber Risk Sick Codes’ presentation highlights the possibility of running alternative software on hardware from manufacturers like John Deere, whose software gives the company a near monopoly on service and repair. That proud tradition continued at this year’s event, though the demonstration that got all the attention was  bit more on the surreal side: a John Deere branded touch screen monitor playing a custom, farm-themed version of the classic Doom first person shooter game.  Security Holes Opened Back Door To TCL Android Smart TVs Surreal or not, the presentation went viral, with stories popping up everywhere from Wired to Jalopnick and ricocheting across the globe. The story got considerable traction with the gaming community, as well, for obvious reasons.  Not a game: serious questions on Ag cyber But behind all the fun and games are some serious questions: about the security of precision agricultural equipment that can be remotely controlled from the cloud, and about the Orwellian conditions suffered by many farmers who find themselves locked out of and unable to fix their own equipment when it breaks.