Hackers Take Remote Control of Hi-Tech Rifle Via Wi-Fi

The tweaks hackers performed in sniper riffle’s system were so precise that they could command the weapon to hit a bullseye on a target of their choice rather that of the gunman’s (see video below). The two hackers who are actually a married couple were able to breach the riffle’s Wi-Fi system and remotely control it despite the owners’ best efforts.

TrackingPoint Sniper hacked by security researchers, and they were able to change the target and even disable it completely.

The hack is based on the smart rifle’s Wi-Fi connection, and has the potential to make the weapons – which were delivered to the US army last year – vulnerable to being hijacked. After hacking into the self-aiming rifle system Sandvick and Auger were able to stop the system completely, change the target, prevent the gun from firing and even make the rifle miss an aim.

But the hack has one limitation – it can not force the weapon to fire without someone pulling the trigger. They also accessed the gun’s security by altering the PIN, which a user can set to limit the access to others.

Self-aiming sniper riffles equipped with a computer designed to turn a rookie hunter into a professional marksman can be hacked.

Runa noted that if the system is compromised, its seven thousand dollar computer becomes inoperable and the shooter still needs to aim the riffle manually.

The Wi-Fi network uses a default password that lets anyone within range to connect to the network and ultimately use the gun as a server, accessing APIs to alter the ballistic calculations in the targeting system.

Tracking Point founder John McHale told Wired that his firm is keen to work with the researchers to develop a software update that can patch the security flaws they found in the gun, but he stressed that shooters need to fire the gun themselves and it is still the shooter’s responsibility to check where their gun scope is aiming at before they fire.

TrackingPoint, which launched in 2011, has sold more than 1,000 of the high-end rifles, according to Wired’s report.

“The shooter’s got to pull the rifle’s trigger, and the shooter is responsible for making sure it’s pointed in a safe direction”. He also pointed out that it would be hard for someone in the real world to use Wi-Fi and hack into the rifle. The fundamentals of shooting don’t change even if the gun is hacked.’.