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Two students find security bug that could let millions do laundry for free
(www.theverge.com)
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this post was submitted on 20 May 2024
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In this case this is fucked up. Let people wash dammit
Not the same company, but I live in apartments with washer/dryers like this. Coin op entirely removed.
You have to have a device that is bluetooth capable to use them.
Anyway pretty sure someone in this apartment has figured out something similar because the machines keep magically becoming unpaid machines after they get serviced. After each service, they will be asking for money to be able to be used for like a day or so, but then soon enough, I'll go back to the laundry room and all the machines will be free and not asking for money. Just ready to go, no device required.
Originally, I thought it was the company disabling them due to like a data breach or something and was trying to find out if there was an undisclosed data leak and/or a class action lawsuit brewing. Since neither of those are the case, I'm pretty sure it's a Notorious Do-Gooder.
So, thanks, Notorious Do-Gooder, for all the free washes and drys.
(Especially since this same idea crossed my mind over a year ago but I've just been too lazy to view the bluetooth data traffic myself)
You're welcome, how's the free cable too by the way?
Good, hope you're enjoying the Internet on "Pretty_Fly_For_A_WIFI" open network
I miss my free cable and Wi-Fi in my first Boston apartment. I didn’t discover it worked until 2 months into living there (just after 9/11 actually). It went month to month when the owners sold the place and we wouldn’t have ever left if it weren’t for the shitty icebox and terrible parking in that neighborhood.
Saw a video that showed using swizzle sticks jammed into the coin slots to release the lock and get free laundry.
I had bike spokes laying around and tried it. It worked, but actually broke the coin slots. Management reconfig’d to other slots, which I then broke.
Laundry was only 25 cents if you knew which slot to put a quart into.
Around 2007 or so I used to unplug Coinstar machines from the internet (plug was usually right in back) and then put in all my coins and try to redeem an online gift card. It used to be you could only get all of your cash back via online gift cards, because the machine took out a fee to give your money back in cash.
When it couldn't connect to the internet, it would apologize and refund me in cash, with no convenience fee (since I was clearly inconvenienced). Full amount returned.
You were supposed to use plastic coffee straws not a hard piece of metal. Turn a $1 bag of 100 straws into $25-$100 in laundry change depending on how much your reuse the straws.
Right, that’s what a swizzle stick is.
Counter point though, breaking it meant I didn't even need straws…
Lol my b
Honestly coin machines aren't that bad as they don't require you to pay a internet bill and they don't have cyber issues.
Sure it might be inconvenient but you can just have a machine that converts bills to coins like they have at car washes.
They could!
Obviously we need UBI cuz…
Capitalism. “Free” washes would increase rent. And benefit high-volume washers! Might increase lines though (wash more often with no skin in the game), pull back people who may be using laundromats as an alternative. Detrimental to low-volume washing households.
Mostly I’d say it’s an optics thing. Cost per year to exist wouldn’t change much, but clearly public opinion could.