Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
11.5.5.2
3D Printers as a Vector for Hybrid Physical/Digital Attacks
A common form of digital attack today is the distributed denial of service (DDoS),
in which a network of infected computers is directed to rapidly overwhelm a server
with requests. These attacks are a simple, brute force method of bringing down an
unwanted website or service, and while they can be incredibly disruptive to the
targeted individual or organization, they don't present any physical risk. Consider
how the same scenario would play out if the target was an offi ce building with a 3D
printer on every desk. Employees arrive in the morning to fi nd the fl oor of the offi ce
covered in spiked metal caltrops, which have spilled out of every 3D printer like
popcorn in an air popper, with more spitting out every few seconds. No one can sit
down, or even reach their seats, until the mess is cleaned up. As long as the feed-
stock holds out, so does the mess. An attack like this could bring an entire business
to a halt, with serious costs to productivity mounting up alongside the maintenance
costs to operate so many printers simultaneously.
11.5.6
3D Printing and Biological Warfare
There are clearly even more frightening scenarios on the horizon once we consider
what could be done with a home fabricator capable of fabricating sophisticated
biological and chemical outputs. Once home fabricators are capable of creating
food, then it stands to reason that they are also capable of creating poisons. It is not
a huge leap to then imagine the power (and danger) of a home replicator that serves
as a small-scale home pharmacy, capable of fabricating medicine or narcotics.
Imagine a scenario where an unsecured bio-printer is hacked and instructed to
produce clouds of toxic gas which fi ll an apartment building or a scenario where a
bug in a piece of program code results in the synthesis of a virulent strain of fungus.
While this might seem alarmist and far-fetched, it is in keeping with both the imag-
ined futures of home replication envisioned by Star Trek and Transmetropolitan and
with the current trajectory of the technology.
11.6
Conclusion
The present state of home fabrication technology is quickly converging with the
imagined futures of science fi ction, driven by an enthusiastic community of Makers
and the rapid development of 3D printing technology. Much like personal comput-
ing led to a revolution in communications technology, it seems like 3D printing (and
its associated technologies) are poised to lead to a new world of small-scale, distrib-
uted manufacturing. In this chapter we have considered some of the potential futures
that have already been envisioned for this technology and have also argued that
there are more varied and interesting possibilities than have been imagined. Home
