Chat function disabled due to "hack" on Oasis last week

[binro01]

Since this is an obvious exploit, the first line of defense is to shut down the service. The next trick is to place up a patch in chat service that the app communicates with that allows the app to connect people to a chat group.

 

This is the preferred process since you can't control everyone to update the app on their phones to fix the exploit.

Once the service is patched and its placed on all servers on each ship they can reinstate the chat service.

 

My guess it can take up to 2-3 business days to fix and test the patch and then it needs to roll out to each ship.

 

If someone on the ship has the ability to update software, that's good, if the operations team has a way to push code to their distributed and floating server cluster that's better.

 

But my guess is don't hold your breath, because more than likely RCI outsourced the development of this code and no one on staff has the expertise or knowledge how to find and fix the exploit in the code base an expedient manner. 

[smokeybandit]

An internal problem with the system. Nice and generic.

[twangster]

Vendors a lot more sophisticated than Royal have exploits announced all the time. Cisco, Aruba, Fortinet, etc. frequently announce exploits and the rush to mitigate begins. 

 

As expolits go this was pretty minor.

[cruisegus]

That chat function is pretty useless as is.

Royal would be better off just disabling it anyway.

Multi device plans get pretty darn cheap on a per user basis and actually perform 

[lv2cruisgrl]

Not working on Wonder this week.

[DustFSU]

Well that is a real shame that it either had a glitch or someone could add all those people and have them shut it down.  I will be on the Wonder this week and was looking forward to see how it actually works. I will have voom, but my brother won't get a iphone so I can't text him if we lose each other. We will just have to use the google meet app if it's not back up.

[Biker19]

12 hours ago, cruisegus said:

Multi device plans get pretty darn cheap on a per user basis and actually perform 

Very few (other than Pins) would consider Voom pricing as cheap.

[smakl]

I was on the cruise and it definitely happened.  Blew up everyone's phones and battery drain.  I'm sure there's a feature like @everyone that someone "found" and exploited.  The chat feature was removed for the remainder of our trip and really for the only day we "needed" it - CocoCay

[topnole]

14 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

This makes a whole lot more sense than a bunch of 12 yo"s hacking the system.  

Yeah.  But much easier to blame the “kids” immediately when no one knows what or why.   
 

Will be interesting to see how

long this takes to fix or if this just killed

it.  Most issues like this need immediate attention so as not to hurt revenue for a given business.  In this case Royal has little incentive to fix it.  Some will likely buy internet now, so revenue might just increase due to this.  If so, why fix it?  

[Bteam]

Chat is definitely not working (or available) on the Jewel this week. 

[sandc4e]

On 4/24/2023 at 7:19 AM, Scottdalfonso said:

Due to some kids sending some inappropriate messages to everyone on board Oasis last week, I am seeing reports of the message option being disabled on this weeks cruises. Anyone on board and can confirm...especially curious if it's all ships or just Oasis. 

I was onboard and it def happened.  It wasn't really a hack they just added all the searchable passengers and sent a bunch of naughty messages.  The line at guest services to find out what was going on was out to the promenade with everyone looking at their phones.  It did not come back the rest of the week.

 

[Another_Critic]

App was updated to 1.41.0

 

Chat icon is back!  Anybody on a ship to confirm it is working again?

[smokeybandit]

Internet packages are now bookable on the app.

[luckyinpa]

a year ago i was on oasis playing with the app and noticed if i just typed in any letter or name it would give me options to talk to people. like type i STA and youd get stacy etc. frequently there were pics attached to the names. i guess from the ships system. i thought it was bizarre all this was out there. is this the 'hack' people are talking about?

 

what was really weird is, some of my personal friends who have never been on a cruise, also showed up on that list!

[Charles4515]

9 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

 

what was really weird is, some of my personal friends who have never been on a cruise, also showed up on that list!

Sounds like names from your contact list are added to the apps list. Message and social media apps usually ask to access my contacts. I always say no.. 

[shof515]

13 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

what was really weird is, some of my personal friends who have never been on a cruise, also showed up on that list!

thats the problem with the default app permission. somewhere somehow the app has permission to access the phone contact/address book

[crzndeb]

45 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

App was updated to 1.41.0

 

Chat icon is back!  Anybody on a ship to confirm it is working again?

Chat was available on Ovation yesterday

[smokeybandit]

20 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

a year ago i was on oasis playing with the app and noticed if i just typed in any letter or name it would give me options to talk to people. like type i STA and youd get stacy etc. frequently there were pics attached to the names. i guess from the ships system. i thought it was bizarre all this was out there. is this the 'hack' people are talking about?

 

what was really weird is, some of my personal friends who have never been on a cruise, also showed up on that list!

Yeah I don't believe this happened.

The app doesn't have a permission to view your contacts list.

[Bteam]

Chat also came back on Friday for the Jewel of the Seas. 

[BND]

I love how some blame Royal and not the perpetrators lol if someone did hack it.  My son is a senior IT manager and will tell you that pretty much every system is hackable.  Most have backdoors so even the creators can get in if someone shuts/locks the front door.  

 

As the saying goes : That's why we can't have nice things".

Edited April 29, 2023 by BND

[twangster]

Back on Radiance too. 

 

I didn't update my app as I tend not to do updates while on a cruise.  Voom isn't good enough to risk getting some corruption during an update.