Garrett Walk-Through Metal Detectors Can Be Hacked Remotely

A number of security flaws have been uncovered in a networking
component in Garrett Metal Detectors that could allow remote
attackers to bypass authentication requirements, tamper with metal
detector configurations, and even execute arbitrary code on the
devices.

“An attacker could manipulate this module to remotely monitor
statistics on the metal detector, such as whether the alarm has
been triggered or how many visitors have walked through,” Cisco
Talos noted^[1]
in a disclosure publicized last week. “They could also make
configuration changes, such as altering the sensitivity level of a
device, which potentially poses a security risk to users who rely
on these metal detectors.”

Talos security researcher Matt Wiseman has been credited with
discovering and reporting these vulnerabilities on August 17, 2021.
Patches have been released by the vendor on December 13, 2021.

The flaws reside in Garrett iC Module^[2], which enables users to
communicate to walk-through metal detectors like Garrett PD 6500i
or Garrett MZ 6100 using a computer through the network, either
wired or wirelessly. It allows customers to control and monitor the
devices from a remote location in real-time.

The list of security vulnerabilities is below –

Successful exploitation of the aforementioned flaws in iC Module
CMA version 5.0 could allow an attacker to hijack an authenticated
user’s session, read, write, or delete arbitrary files on the
device, and worse, lead to remote code execution.

In light of the severity of the security vulnerabilities, users
are highly recommended to update to the latest version of the
firmware as soon as possible.