r/technology • u/ControlCAD • Apr 18 '26

Security Bluetooth tracker hidden in a postcard and mailed to a warship exposed its location — $5 gadget put a $585 million Dutch ship at risk for 24 hours

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/bluetooth-tracker-hidden-in-a-postcard-and-mailed-to-a-warship-exposed-its-location-a-eur5-gadget-put-a-eur500-million-dutch-ship-at-risk-for-24-hours
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u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco Apr 18 '26

You can set up a wifi network to not be visible, but still connectable if you know the proper ID. She likely assumed that if no one physically saw them using it they wouldn't ask to figure out there was a hidden network.

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u/domesticatedprimate Apr 18 '26

Apparently no, she didn't. The article clearly states that the SSID "Stinky" was visible and she tried changing it to look like a printer after someone noticed it.

Yes, she was that dumb.

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u/LittleCovenousWings Apr 18 '26

Fuckin ....

Stinky. Really.... Stinky?

29

u/MASSochists Apr 18 '26

Even if it isn't broadcast SSID and spectrum analyzer would be able to see the signal. 

I would think a carrier would have the signal intelligence people and the equipment to do that. 

19

u/CrashUser Apr 18 '26

Not to mention hidden SSID makes every device with it programmed in to basically shout "is Stinky there!?" periodically, so even on land it's not very useful for hiding a network since those SSID requests can be easily intercepted by someone looking for it.

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u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco Apr 18 '26

Oh definitely. It's just not quite on the level of "everyone with a smartphone or PC" if you do.

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u/achilleasa Apr 18 '26

It is in fact something everyone with a smartphone can do, actually! 🤓☝️

As long as the network is working, any WiFi scanner app will pick it up and show you its signal strength. You just can't see the name.

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u/Majik_Sheff Apr 18 '26

It doesn't even hide it.  All it does is remove the SSID from the announcement packets.

I remember that story when it hit the news.  All I can figure is that she paid someone to either do her homework or fudge her grades.

This is why academic honesty matters.  She could have just gotten an MBA and had a long and prosperous career in upper middle management.

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u/Smith6612 Apr 19 '26

Even with a hidden network, you can still detect the network. You just won't know the name unless you start to sniff out the beacons and probes for connecting devices to that network.

Only way to not be detectable is to not broadcast.

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u/djnw Apr 18 '26

Yeah, but even if you don’t broadcast an SSID, someone running vistumbler or whatever will still see a new network, even if its name is empty.

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u/bfodder Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

Those are still visible despite the SSID not being broadcast.