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Comment by mr_overalls | Hacker News Reader

At least several years ago, the cracked John Deere firmware was done by Ukrainian hackers. This seems like a serious vulnerability for supply-side attacks.

High-end tractors have been driving autonomously for years, with precise GPS, multiple cameras, Internet connections, etc. It's not unthinkable that hostile nation-state actors could hack the firmware to simply direct a 25-ton combine to leave the field and drive through the nearest population center (or high-voltage transmission line, oil storage tank, etc.)

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The 5kph vehicle of terror!! Very slowly menacing the population!

It's like those bad monster movies where the people just stand their screaming while guy in the heavy and clunky rubber suit slowly waddles towards them.

Hacking something like a Tesla would probably be better. At least then you can maximize the V in your E=1/2mv^2 calculation.

Combine harvesters can travel up to 40km/h when the harvesting mill is not operating.

Then they are just a slow truck. Hacking a truck would then be a more effective route.

I need to find you some pictures of this. It happened, but with an angry human in Vermont. Flattened a bunch of police cars. Here are some [1] but I know there were more [2][3]. Trying to find the pictures of the cops laughing. Well, those pictures are gone, but you can see most of the story.

[1] - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/vermont-man-uses-tracto...

[2] - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2182958/Police-Vt-f...

[3] - https://motleynews.net/2012/08/03/lmao-vermont-man-upset-ove...

That is absolutely hilarious.

There's also the Killdozer with Marvin Heemeyer but it was a bulldozer effectively turned into a tank

I remember the videos of that. That would be a good example of high damage low risk to someone that takes control of a GPS/AI controlled bulldozer. And that was just one bulldozer. Imagine if every tractor, bulldozer, rock hauler, excavator were connected to a gaming engine and suddenly went full quake-3 arena at the same time.

Our neighbor would chase "trespassing" police off his property with a bucket loader (tractor with a bucket).

This is just a fantasy - they have to have a driver inside.

Their ripoff prices, however, are very much real

> 25-ton combine to leave the field and drive through the nearest population center

Well, the good news is these things have a pretty low top speed, so I think you'd be able to dodge out of the way.

Tractors gave top speeds over 20 mph. If i was on foot, i would not call that "low"

and if they have to swerve to hit you they're going to roll. they are not stable vehicles at speed.

slow enough to run to the left / right if you see it coming, since the turning radius is pretty wide.

You are joking, right?

Come on. Having a physical ignition switch that isn't controlled electronically is not a new idea.

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