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0 pointsakashshekara3y ago0 comments

I moved back to Texas from college without any job prospects and found myself living in my car, relying on Walmart Wi-Fi for internet access.

So, I resorted to a few low-quality hacks.

The first was a QR Code parking app. It worked by just placing a qr code on public parking meters. I marked up the parking from like from 50 cents to a dollar. I kept 50 cents and payed for the parking through the official app with mitmproxy. Someone eventually reported it.

I had to ask my dad for help reimbursing the city—which he was not too happy about.

The second hack of a washing machine was disclosed properly, although no firmware patch was ever released.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29814973

[2] https://shakey.blot.im/reverse-engineering-a-popular-laundry...

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rakeshsingh13y ago

Wow, that's quite a story! It sounds like you got a bit of a wake-up call from your dad, but it's commendable that you took responsibility for your actions. It's also great that you reported the washing machine hack properly so that it could be fixed. It's unfortunate that no firmware patch was released, but at least you did the right thing.

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