Doom launched on... tractor!

The old Doom has been run on everything: electronic pregnancy tests, old Nokia phones, and toothbrushes, and now John Deere's onboard tractor computer is joining the ranks.

The hacked computer of one of the popular John Deere brand tractors was unveiled at DefCon 22 in Las Vegas. Thanks to a special exploit, the hacker Sick Codes got root access to the computer system and demonstrated an agricultural mod for Doom running on it. So the enthusiast wants to draw attention to the fact that the machines software is outdated - it cannot be modified or repaired.

"We want farmers to be able to repair their own equipment when it breaks down, and we want them to be able to decide for themselves what software they need. Freedom to the tractors!"

After the incident, John Deere said it would update its software and expand access to its repairs. The hacker was curious as to what exactly the company would do after the hack, since, in his opinion, without getting rid of the old hardware, the manufacturer would not be able to fix all the existing vulnerabilities.

Source: wired.com