10-year-old girl hacker throws pennies at apps developers with discovery

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SUMMARY

A 10-year-old hacker known as CyFi has discovered a method to exploit mobile games on Android and iOS by manipulating the device's clock settings. By changing the clock in small increments or disconnecting the device from the network, she can effectively "time travel" within the games, creating a vulnerability she refers to as a "zero day." This discovery highlights significant security flaws in mobile app development that developers must address to prevent exploitation.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of mobile app development for Android and iOS
  • Knowledge of game mechanics and user experience design
  • Familiarity with security vulnerabilities, specifically zero-day exploits
  • Basic concepts of network connectivity and device synchronization
NEXT STEPS
  • Research mobile app security best practices to mitigate vulnerabilities
  • Explore methods for detecting and preventing zero-day exploits in applications
  • Learn about user experience design principles to minimize exploit opportunities
  • Investigate the implications of network disconnection on app functionality
USEFUL FOR

Mobile app developers, security analysts, game designers, and anyone interested in understanding vulnerabilities in mobile applications.

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A 10-year-old hacker who goes by the handle CyFi has an "important lesson" that mobile phone app makers can "learn from a Girl Scout." She's found a way to cheat Android and iOS games on smartphones and tablets using a common console and PC video game exploit: the clock.

CyFi (not to be confused with our parent company, Syfy), seen above in sweet shades, discovered the loophole because of some good ol' fashioned boredom. While playing farming games and other Android and iOS titles — she isn't releasing the names of what's what to give developers time to fix the vulnerability — CyFi found herself wishing certain tasks didn't take as long. Now, simply changing the clock a great deal won't work — app makers thought of that much, and will detect such tomfoolery.

To get around this, CyFi found that if she changed the clock in small increments instead, or disconnected a device (from a network, we think, but it's unclear), she could time travel in the game she was playing. She calls this creation a "zero day."
http://dvice.com/archives/2011/08/10-year-old-gir.php

Kudos to her! This is very impressive thinking for anyone, let alone a young child.
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
Smart kiddo!
 
Math Is Hard said:
Smart kiddo!
Yup! We need more like her!
 

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