I think we should stop going crazy over the smart things unless it's secure enough to be called SMART—from a toaster, security cameras, and routers to the computers and cars—everything is hackable. But the worst part comes in when these techs just require some cheap and easily available kinds of stuff to get compromised. Want example? It took just
CS Digest Section: Internet-of-Things
Internet of Things: Let the Avatars Talk to Each Other
On the 25th anniversary of the universal barcode in 1999, the barcode community gathered around Sanjay Sarma and his colleagues and said, "Let's do this."
http://news.mit.edu/2017/internet-of-things-let-avatars-talk-to-each-other-sanjay-sarma-0530
Why Manufacturers Should Be Mindful Of Cybersecurity
Hackers can penetrate the corporate IT network of a manufacturing company, then gain access to a robot's controller software and, by exploiting a vulnerability remotely, download a tampered configuration file.
Just a Pair of These $11 Radio Gadgets Can Steal a Car
A group of researchers at the Beijing-based security firm Qihoo 360 recently pulled off the so-called relay hack with a pair of gadgets they built for just $22.
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/just-pair-11-radio-gadgets-can-steal-car/
Mirai and Hajime Locked Into IoT Botnet Battle
"No one knows for sure who created Hajime. The only thing we know for sure is that it's a vigilante white hat hacker who created this to counter any future attacks from Mirai and similar attacks," said Mandeep Khera, CMO of security firm Arxan.
https://threatpost.com/mirai-and-hajime-locked-into-iot-botnet-battle/125112/
BrickerBot Malware Attacks and Destroys Unsecure IoT Devices
"Upon successful access to the device, the PDoS bot performed a series of Linux commands that would ultimately lead to corrupted storage, followed by commands to disrupt Internet connectivity, device performance, and the wiping of all files on the device," Radware said.
Why American Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors With Ukrainian Firmware
To avoid the draconian locks that John Deere puts on the tractors they buy, farmers throughout America's heartland have started hacking their equipment with firmware that's cracked in Eastern Europe and traded on invite-only, paid online forums.
Data From Connected CloudPets Teddy Bears Leaked and Ransomed, Exposing Kids’ Voice Messages
Only a couple of weeks ago, there were a lot of news headlines about how Germany had banned an internet-connected doll called "Cayla" over fears hackers could target children. One of their primary concerns was the potential risk to the privacy of children.
San Diego Installing ‘Smart City’ Network with Sensors on 3,200 Streetlights
General Electric will put cameras, microphones and sensors on 3,200 streetlights in San Diego this year, marking the first large-scale use of "smart city" tools GE says can help monitor traffic and pinpoint crime.
Chip Could Make Voice Control Ubiquitous in Electronics
In anticipation of the age of voice-controlled electronics, MIT researchers have built a low-power chip specialized for automatic speech recognition. Whereas a cellphone running speech-recognition software might require about 1 watt of power, the new chip requires between 0.2 and 10 milliwatts, depending on the number of words it has to recognize.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170213171408.htm
