Shutting The Door On Shodan

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.manufacturing.net/articles/2013/12/shutting-the-door-on-shodan

By Alan Grau
Icon Labs
12/16/2013

Shodan, "the scariest search engine on the Internet" according to CNN 
Money, is a search engine scouring the Internet looking for servers, 
webcams, printers, routers and all the other devices that are connected 
to, and make up, the Internet of Things. Searches on Shodan can find a 
stunning amount of information. Would-be hackers find critical systems to 
attack, search by city or GPS coordinates, and find detailed information 
on devices and their vulnerabilities.

Searches on Shodan have turned up countless web cameras, traffic lights 
and home automation devices, many with little or no security. Searches 
also exposed SCADA systems, gas station controls, and even command and 
control systems for a nuclear power plant. Shodan even allows searches for 
discovered exploits and vulnerabilities. Shodan provides hackers a simple, 
easy-to-use launching pad for attacks.

It is easy to look at Shodan as the problem -- it provides easy access to 
the devices connected to the Internet. In reality, however, Shodan simply 
highlights the security vulnerabilities of many of the devices that 
comprise the Internet of Things (IoT). The real problem is not that Shodan 
finds insecure devices, but that so many devices lack real security.

[...]



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