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The Hacking of Things

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The Hacking of Things


July 11, 2014

The idea of running my home from a smartphone sounds like the ultimate in convenience and control.

With some of the smart products currently available, I can have a sensor on my washing machine text or email an alert while I’m at work that tells me the appliance is leaking and activates the water shutoff. Then I can summon the plumber and, from afar, allow him into my house by opening the electronic door locks. Just before I arrive home to pick up his bill, I can preheat the oven while I’m driving to get a faster start on dinner.
 
The advanced connectivity of the Internet of Things (IoT) offers enormous possibilities, the number of which will accelerate, judging by the growing list of manufacturers with smart thermostats and other devices that enable the remote control and monitoring of security systems, lighting, generators, refrigerator, the range, and even blinds and shutters, just to mention a handful. Whether the forecast belongs to Cisco, Gartner, or ABI Research, the prognosticators expect the number of devices on the IoT will grow by the tens of billions by 2020. Consumers are definitely intrigued by this technology, so house product manufacturers and even home builders perhaps risk falling behind if they don’t offer their buyers the latest in smart products.
 
So will all this home automation bring its users peace of mind? I’m not so sure. Trustwave, a data security and compliance company, hacked into the Android app and activated a smart toilet’s bidet and air-dry functions. Local news stories occasionally report about hackers sending threatening and vulgar messages over baby monitors and cable TV boxes. Proofpoint, a security consulting firm, tracked a global cyber attack that sent 750,000 malicious emails during two weeks from more than 100,000 gadgets such as home Wi-Fi routers, TVs, DVRs, and even a refrigerator.
 
Not every smart device is set up for high security, and the more gadgets that are added to a home’s Wi-Fi network, the more that network might be vulnerable. Even big corporations with sophisticated firewalls and security software fall prey to hackers because the database holding sensitive information was on the same network that connected a third party vendor’s air conditioning system, video conferencing equipment, and even vending machines. So would I want a smart thermostat or a smart lock that could tip off a hacker working with a buglary ring that my house is empty?
 
Perhaps the winners in the smart gadgets market will not be those manufacturers that deliver conveniences or can bundle control of several devices through a single app. Makers of gadgets that protect privacy and keep the behaviors of users secure probably will have the advantage as reports about data breaches continue hitting the news. CB
 
 
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