Saint PwnedPiper, Piper of the Pneumatic Tubes

Patron of pneumatic tubes, capsules whizzing through corridors, and firmware accepted without a signature.

Life

On 2 August 2021 Armis revealed nine vulnerabilities in the Nexus panels of Swisslog Healthcare's Translogic pneumatic tube system, the one that carries samples and medicines between wards in thousands of hospitals. The worst: the panel accepted firmware updates without checking any signature, so anyone on the network could install their own. Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, an attacker could have made the tubes play his tune.

Prayer

O Saint PwnedPiper, who plays the pipe inside the ducts, let every capsule reach the right ward and every firmware be signed. Amen.

How to celebrate

Celebrated by updating Nexus Software to 7.2.5.7 and listening quietly to the whoosh of a passing capsule.

Unsigned firmware, ownerless tube.