Nintendo Wii: When 'Off' Doesn't Mean Off

["Fergie" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

Bruce Schneier:

[snip]

According to the specs of the new Nintendo Wii (their new game machine), "Wii can communicate with the Internet even 
when the power is turned off." Nintendo accentuates the positive: "This WiiConnect24 service delivers a new surprise or 
game update, even if users do not play with Wii," while ignoring the possibility that Nintendo can deactivate a game if 
they choose to do so, or that someone else can deliver a different -- not so wanted -- surprise.

We all know that, but what's interesting here is that Nintendo is changing the meaning of the word "off." We are all 
conditioned to believe that "off" means off, and therefore safe. But in Nintendo's case, "off" really means something 
like "on standby." If users expect the Nintendo Wii to be truly off, they need to pull the power plug -- assuming there 
isn't a battery foiling that tactic. Maybe they need to pull both the power plug and the Ethernet cable. Unless they 
have a wireless network at home.

Maybe there is no way to turn the Nintendo Wii off.

There's a serious security problem here, made worse by a bad user interface. "Off" should mean off.

[snip]

Unplug it from the wall?  ;-)

Link:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/when_off_doesnt.html

- ferg


--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg () netzero net or fergdawg () sbcglobal net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/


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