Futurehome Smarthub Mandatory Subscription Fee: Difference between revisions
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Added a section regarding Louis Rossman's 5000$ bounty for the one that could crack the futurehome firmware, and added FHSD Connect AS CEO's response. Currently without sitations, but taken from this page: https://www.tek.no/nyheter/nyhet/i/mPm4xl/lover-50000-kroner-for-aa-gjoere-futurehome-gratis , and this video , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNuZ3BjT7IU |
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==Questionable legality== | ==Questionable legality== | ||
This issue drew attention to consumer protection laws. Norway is not an EU member but is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), which means EU consumer-protection directives (such as those barring unfair commercial practices) are incorporated into Norwegian law. Observers noted that retroactively charging a subscription for a product that was sold under a no-fee premise might violate these rules, though as of mid-2025 it remained unclear if any official action would be taken. Some users discussed the possibility of legal recourse or a class-action lawsuit in response to Futurehome's move. | This issue drew attention to consumer protection laws. Norway is not an EU member but is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), which means EU consumer-protection directives (such as those barring unfair commercial practices) are incorporated into Norwegian law. Observers noted that retroactively charging a subscription for a product that was sold under a no-fee premise might violate these rules, though as of mid-2025 it remained unclear if any official action would be taken. Some users discussed the possibility of legal recourse or a class-action lawsuit in response to Futurehome's move. | ||
==$5000 bounty to crack firmware== | |||
16. July 2025, consumer rights advocate Louis Rossman announced that he would pay a 5000$ bounty to the one that made available a solution to restore the previous functions of the Futurehome products. In addition Rossman would hire a lawyer to defend the one that provided the solution, if they were taken to court. | |||
In response to this, FHSD Connect AS CEO, Øyvind Fries, says that<blockquote>It is regrettable that we now have to spend time and resources on strengthening the security around a service in demand, rather than further developing functionality for the benefit of our customers. (Translated from norwegian)</blockquote>Fries says their focus is on reliable and user-friendly services, with the customers of former Futurehome in focus. They take the bounty seriously, and don't think it is the least bit funny.<blockquote>Although some perceive this as entertainment, it can have serious consequences for several thousand subscribers who use the service daily. | |||
Unauthorized access to software is considered illegal hacking, and is punished according to Norwegian law. (Translated from norwegian)</blockquote>When asked by the journalists at Tek.no about what legal action FHDS Connect AS would take if someone were to trigger the bounty and the software therefore be broken, Fries said:<blockquote>Any offenses are followed up by the police, who have experience with this type of problem. (Translated from norwegian)</blockquote> | |||
==Similarity to Wink== | ==Similarity to Wink== | ||
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At this point, we should now know: | At this point, we should now know: | ||
# The DNS A/AAAA requests and responses that the FH device queries | #The DNS A/AAAA requests and responses that the FH device queries | ||
# The Layer-3 protocols and Layer-4 ports in use by the device | #The Layer-3 protocols and Layer-4 ports in use by the device | ||
# The commands sent back and forth between the FH device and the FH server | #The commands sent back and forth between the FH device and the FH server | ||
# The responses sent back and forth from item three, above | #The responses sent back and forth from item three, above | ||
Armed with this, we will need to create a DNS server that has a local zone (db.rpz.local) for each DNS request by the FH device. These entries should point to (what will eventually become) our custom FH server. For this example, let's use 1.2.3.4 as the server IP. Now, any time the FH device wants to connect to the actual FH server and it's using our DNS server, it will connect to 1.2.3.4 (our custom server) instead. | Armed with this, we will need to create a DNS server that has a local zone (db.rpz.local) for each DNS request by the FH device. These entries should point to (what will eventually become) our custom FH server. For this example, let's use 1.2.3.4 as the server IP. Now, any time the FH device wants to connect to the actual FH server and it's using our DNS server, it will connect to 1.2.3.4 (our custom server) instead. | ||