TrackingPoint Sniper Hacked By Security Researchers and they were able to

A wireless connection and a smart sniper rifle don’t make for a good mix, believe it or not.

Researchers have demonstrated how their technique can wreak havoc with the gun’s targeting computer, causing it to miss its target, prevent it from firing or even disable the scope completely.

Security researchers have discovered that it is possible to hack into high-tech self-aiming sniper rifles and either disable the gun from firing or cause it to change targets, both of which could have very unsafe consequences.

Their tricks interfere with the calculations of the rifle’s targeting computer so accurately that the hackers could hit a bulls-eye of their choosing – without the shooter knowing.

The couple was able to exploit vulnerabilities in the Linux-powered gun’s software through its Wi-Fi connection, used to allow users to stream video of a shot to a nearby device.

The rifle scope allows users to choose a target and dial in variables including wind, temperature and weight of ammunition. 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.

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

But when the Wi-Fi is activated, the gun has a default password that allows anyone in the network to connect to it.

Sandvick and Auger also gave a demonstration of their work to WIRED. But he also highlighted their inability to make the gun fire without pulling the trigger, a key safety measure.

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 company has laid off many of its staff and is no longer shipping rifles, but around 1,000 are now in circulation.

As manufacturers of the rifle, Tracking Point have refuted that there is any issue with the rifle following the discovery and that while a patch for the software has been administered, its founder John McHale said the likelihood of the rifle being made vulnerable through Wi-Fi in the open world.

“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”.