Hacker successfully discovers way to get free laundry for life

A hacker wasn’t happy with how the laundry machines in his building worked, so he decided to bypass them to get free laundry for life.

Michael Orlitzky wasn’t frustrated when CSC Serviceworks, a laundry management company, replaced all the machines in his building with new coin-operated or app-based ones. Orlitzky had trouble with the card reader machines malfunctioning and the recharge machine eating dollar bills.

CSC replaced the machines about a week earlier than planned, which meant any cash on his or others’ laundry cards was now useless. Filled with outrage, Orlitzky decided his laundry would be free.

He discovered multiple bypasses to CSC machines that allowed him to wash his clothes for free, Orlitzky wrote on his personal website and told 404 Media in an email. He tried bypassing three models of CSC-branded Speed Queen machines supplied by Alliance Laundry Systems.

Don’t try this at home

Orlitzky started by getting into the service panels of the machines. It was easy for the dryers, which had two screws holding the panel. For the washers, he went to Alliance’s online parts store and bought an “Alliance washer-dryer key” for $6, which could open the service panel. He also suggested using tubular lockpickers for the task.

Michael Orlitzky

After getting into the service panel, he short-circuited the red and black wires on the coin-drop mechanism to unlock free laundry. For the dryers, Orlitzky says he used a voltage tester to avoid getting shocked and then exposed the wires with a pocket knife.

Orlitzky published the story about getting free laundry on his website on June 2, 2023. It’s been more than a year, and he hasn’t heard from CSC yet, meaning he’s already been enjoying free laundry for more than a year.

But, hackers have not always gotten away with their nefarious activities. Last year, Nintendo ordered Gary Bowser to pay a portion of his salary back for life. But, breaches of a more serious nature have proven lucrative for one ransomware group that managed to steal £75m, and attacks on government institutions and individual accounts, targeting ChatGPT have become more commonplace.