Digital Signal Processing

Undocumented Feature or Potential Vulnerability?

Authors: Evgenii Litvinov
Comments: 7 Pages.

According Wikipedia, an undocumented feature is an unintended or undocumented hardware operation, for example an undocumented instruction, or software feature found in computer hardware and software that is considered beneficial or useful. Sometimes the documentation is omitted through oversight, but undocumented features are sometimes not intended for use by end users, but left available for use by the vendor for software support anddevelopment. Also, some unintended operation of hardware or software that ends up being of utility to users is simply a bug, flaw or quirk [1]. I believe that according to the definition of backdoor [2], and it refers to a special case of undocumented feature, because in both cases this information, which is known and used byvendors for software support and development. Manufacturers of advanced sensors, gate valves, pumps, video cameras and other lowlevel (abbreviated as LL) automation products offer "smart" versions of their products. All ofthese "smart" solutions involve variability, programmability and versatility in terms of productapplication, as well as cost and commissioning time reduction. Given that product variability, programmability and versatility are often achieved through the use of programmable elements, this imposes a great deal of responsibility on product manufacturers and requires vigilance on the part of consumers. This article will not discuss individual household products in the form of smart homes, smart TVs, the Internet of Things, etc., but anyone who reads the material outlined can imagine how unpredictable any item in their home can be if the manufacturer has not shown sufficient responsibility.
Category: Digital Signal Processing