farmers around the world has turned tractor hack so they can ignore digital padlock that manufacturers impose on their vehicles. Like the insulin pump “loop” and iPhone jailbreak, this allows farmers to modify and repair expensive equipment that is vital to their job, the way they can with analog tractors. At the DefCon security conference in Las Vegas on Saturday, a hacker known as Sick Codes is presenting a new jailbreak for John Deere & Co.’s tractors. allowing him to control multiple models through their touch screens.
This finding highlights the security implications of the rights repair movement. The tractor exploit discovered by Sick Codes is not a remote attack, but the related vulnerabilities represent a fundamental insecurity in devices that could be exploited by malicious actors or potentially chained to other vulnerabilities. Securing the agriculture industry and food supply chain is critical, because of incidents like 2021 JBS Meat attacks ransomware displayed. At the same time, however, vulnerabilities like those found by Sick Codes help farmers do what they need to do with their own equipment.
John Deere did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment on the study.
Sick Codes, an Australian living in Asia, presented at DefCon 2021 about tractor application programming interface and operating system error. After he made his research public, tractor companies, including John Deere, began to correct some of the flaws. “The right of the fix is a bit counterintuitive to what I’m trying to do,” he told WIRED. “I have heard from some farmers; one guy emailed me and was like ‘You’re ruining all our stuff!’ So I thought where would I put my money and really prove to the farmers that they can root the devices. “
This year, Sick Codes says that while he is primarily concerned with world food security and the potential impact of vulnerable farming equipment, he also sees important value in enabling Farmers have complete control over their equipment. “Unleash the tractor!” he says.
After years of controversy in the US over the “right to repair” equipment people buy, the movement seems to have reached a turning point. The White House has issued a executive order last year directed the Federal Trade Commission get a raise enforcement efforts through practices such as voiding warranties for outside repairs. That, combined with New York State passing separate law on the right to repair and create activist pressuregave unprecedented impetus to the movement.
Facing increased pressure, John Deere announced in March that it will offer more repair software to device owners. The company also said at the time that it would release an “enhanced customer solution” next year so customers and mechanics could download and apply official software updates to their devices themselves. Deere, rather than let John Deere unilaterally apply patches remotely or force farmers to bring their produce to authorized dealers.
