The word “hacker” has picked up a pretty negative reputation. While some of it is justified, the good done by these computer geniuses is often overlooked.
Yes, there are some very bad apples. But they’ve also done some good. They’ve targeted corrupt organizations and exposed covered up government missteps.
Of course, even the do-gooders sometimes go to far, and this past month, a group of researchers from a Texas university may have done just that.
Using a homemade spoofing device, they managed to steer a yacht off course without the crew or the yacht’s GPS noticing.
And yes, the nerd in all of us thinks that’s pretty cool. It’s like you’re own personal remote control boat. Only it’s not so cool when you think about all the other vehicles that operate on auto-pilot and would be susceptible to this kind of technology. To name one — airline jets.
Now they’ll have to figure out a way to stop the monster they’ve created.
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More on the Story: Fast Company
…just for fun:
In honor of everyone’s favorite angsty British wizard’s birthday-
