Virtual Home Invasions: We’re Not Safe from Government Peeping Toms
Off-Guardian 13.05.24
The erosion of privacy and the emergence of constant surveillance is normalised:
'By the end of 2018, “there were an estimated 22 billion internet of things connected devices in use around the world… Forecasts suggest that by 2030 around 50 billion of these IoT devices will be in use around the world, creating a massive web of interconnected devices spanning everything from smartphones to kitchen appliances.”… Yet given the speed and trajectory at which these technologies are developing, it won’t be long before these devices become government informants, reporting independently on anything you might do that runs afoul of the Nanny State.’
S.Korea's high-speed 5G mobile revolution gives way to evolution
Reuters 13.05.22
A lot of hype goes up in smoke as the reality of having billions of antennas relaying millimetre waves sinks in:
'South Korea was the first country to launch a fifth-generation mobile network in 2019, heralding a warp-speed technological transformation to self-driving cars and smart cities. Three years on, the giddy promises are unfulfilled… Telcos have adapted by diversifying. To make the quantum leap to the highest-speed 5G will require the roll-out of essential services that need such fast connections. "When households begin to have robots at their homes, for instance, telcos would then start ramping up infrastructure investments, so the highest-speed 5G will be partially available around 2025," said Kim Hyun-yong, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities. The lesson for other countries racing toward 5G may be: curb your enthusiasm. The new technology holds great promise, but for now there will still be as much evolution as revolution in the high-speed internet future… Asia's fourth-biggest economy has remained the 5G pioneer, but the hype had begun to fade even before COVID-19 slammed demand for 5G devices. Companies have baulked at investing the estimated $370 billion needed to set up the fastest 5G, and revenue growth has stalled. "Rolling out 5G that is 20 times faster is nearly impossible, even in Seoul,” said Ku Hyun-mo, CEO of South Korea's top telecoms operator, KT Corp (030200.KS). “Establishing nationwide coverage just can’t be done - 5G frequency travels straight and it can’t go around obstacles," Ku told Reuters. "It can’t deliver the same speed once it travels a few hundred metres.”'
The microchip implants that let you pay with your hand
BBC 11.04.22
Due to covid and now, the Ukraine war, there’s not been much of a discussion about ‘amazing tech’ that would simplify our life. I foresee a resurgence in MSM for pushing the agenda for ‘great tech’ in a drive to promote the digitisation of everyday life:
‘Walletmor's chip, which weighs less than a gram and is little bigger than a grain of rice, is comprised of a tiny microchip and an antenna encased in a biopolymer - a naturally sourced material, similar to plastic. Mr Paprota adds that it is entirely safe, has regulatory approval, works immediately after being implanted, and will stay firmly in place. It also does not require a battery, or other power source. The firm says it has now sold more than 500 of the chips. The technology Walletmor uses is near-field communication or NFC, the contactless payment system in smartphones. Other payment implants are based on radio-frequency identification (RFID), which is the similar technology typically found in physical contactless debit and credit cards…
"The reading distance is limited by the small antenna coil inside the implant. The implant needs to be within the electromagnetic field of a compatible RFID [or NFC] reader. Only when there is a magnetic coupling between the reader and the transponder can the implant can be read.”… Financial technology or fintech, expert Theodora Lau, is co-author of the book Beyond Good: How Technology Is Leading A Business Driven Revolution. She says that implanted payment chips are just "an extension of the internet of things". By that she means another new way of connecting and exchanging data… Nada Kakabadse, professor of policy, governance and ethics at Reading University's Henley Business School, is also cautious about the future of more advanced embedded chips. "There is a dark side to the technology that has a potential for abuse," she says. "To those with no love of individual freedom, it opens up seductive new vistas for control, manipulation and oppression. "And who owns the data? Who has access to the data? And, is it ethical to chip people like we do pets?” The result, she cautions, could be "the disempowerment of many for the benefits of a few”.'
Airlines scramble to rejig schedules amid U.S. 5G rollout concerns
Reuters 19.01.22
5G looks to be a real disruptor in tech, for the wrong reasons. Bad for business as well as health:
‘Major international airlines rushed to rejig or cancel flights to the United States ahead of a 5G wireless rollout on Wednesday that has triggered safety concerns, despite two wireless carriers saying they will delay parts of the deployment. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had warned that potential 5G interference could affect height readings that play a key role in bad-weather landings on some jets and airlines say the Boeing 777 is among models initially in the spotlight.'
Boeing, Airbus executives urge delay in U.S. 5G wireless deployment
Reuters 21.12.21
The interference from base stations could seriously affect sensitive aircraft instruments:
'"5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate," the letter said, adding it could have "an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry.” The industry and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have raised concerns about potential interference of 5G with sensitive aircraft electronics like radio altimeters. The FAA this month issued airworthiness directives warning 5G interference could result in flight diversions. The agency plans to provide more information before Jan. 5 read more.'
From creaking Cairo, Egypt plans high-tech leap with new capital
Reuters 02.09.21
When ‘smart’ solutions fulfil another totalitarian dreamer’s vision:
‘In Egypt's new capital on the outskirts of Cairo, residents will use smart cards and apps to unlock doors and make payments, and surf the web on public WiFi beamed from lampposts. A network of at least 6,000 cameras will monitor activity on every street, tracking pedestrians and vehicles to regulate traffic and report suspicious activity…
The city being built from scratch in the desert - so far called the New Administrative Capital - is designed to hold 6.5 million residents and is expected to open to its first civil servants later this year… Technology and communications contracts for the new capital total $640 million, which could rise to $900 million in later phases, Khalil said. Partners include Huawei (HWT.UL), Orange (ORAN.PA) and Mastercard (MA.N). A surveillance system developed by Honeywell (HON.O) will "monitor crowds and traffic congestion, detect incidents of theft, observe suspicious people or objects, and trigger automated alarms in emergency situations", the company says… While enhanced surveillance could make identification of dissidents easier, "I don't see what it would really add beyond what they already are doing, which is very extensive," said Steven Feldstein, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington and author of a book on digital repression.’
Millions of Web Camera and Baby Monitor Feeds Are Exposed
Wired 17.08.21
Open to hacks and accessible to all, IoT systems idea should be dumped:
‘A vulnerability is lurking in numerous types of smart devices—including security cameras, DVRs, and even baby monitors—that could allow an attacker to access live video and audio streams over the internet and even take full control of the gadgets remotely. What's worse, it's not limited to a single manufacturer; it shows up in a software development kit that permeates more than 83 million devices, and over a billion connections to the internet each month. The SDK in question is ThroughTek Kalay, which provides a plug-and-play system for connecting smart devices with their corresponding mobile apps. The Kalay platform brokers the connection between a device and its app, handles authentication, and sends commands and data back and forth. For example, Kalay offers built-in functionality to coordinate between a security camera and an app that can remotely control the camera angle. Researchers from the security firm Mandiant discovered the critical bug at the end of 2020, and they are publicly disclosing it today in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.'
Huawei smart city projects meet facial recognition block, lawsuit from partner
Biometric Update 16.08.21
Huawei is faring better in Serbia than in the US:
'The implementation of a smart city project in Serbia which includes the installation of surveillance cameras from Huawei with facial recognition is raising concerns among digital rights advocates and even from some members of the European Parliament. According to a report by Wired, the project, which started with a pilot in the capital Belgrade described as successful, has met with criticism from various quarters including from the country’s Commissioner for personal data protection, as there is yet no legal framework for its implementation. A strategic partnership agreement to set up the project, Wired recalls, was signed in 2017 between Serbian authorities and Huawei, with an announcement in 2019 for the installation of a thousand smart cameras with advanced facial recognition software in 800 locations.’
‘Historic Win’: CHD Wins Case Against FCC on Safety Guidelines for 5G and Wireless
Children’s Health Defence 13.08.21
Excellent news:
‘CHD’s lead attorney for the case, Scott McCollough, a telecommunication and administrative law attorney who represented the petitioners in the hearing, said: “This is an historic win. The FCC will have to re-open the proceeding and for the first time meaningfully and responsibly confront the vast amount of scientific and medical evidence showing that current guidelines do not adequately protect health and the environment. The court’s decision continued to say: “…the FCC completely failed to acknowledge, let alone respond to, comments concerning the impact of RF radiation on the environment…The record contains substantive evidence of potential environmental harms.”’
Amazon US customers have one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
The Guardian 01.06.21
Amazon would capture tons of data in this seemingly innocuous gesture:
‘Amazon customers have one week to opt out of a plan that would turn every Echo speaker and Ring security camera in the US into a shared wireless network, as part of the company’s plan to fix connection problems for its smart home devices. The proposal, called Amazon Sidewalk, involves the company’s devices being used as a springboard to build city-wide “mesh networks” that help simplify the process of setting up new devices, keep them online even if they’re out of range of home wifi, and extend the range of tracking devices such as those made by Tile…
But the company’s plans have caused alarm among observers. Ashkan Soltani, a former chief technology officer of the US Federal Trade Commission, told the tech site Ars Technica: “In addition to capturing everyone’s shopping habits (from amazon.com) and their internet activity (as AWS is one of the most dominant web hosting services) … now they are also effectively becoming a global ISP with a flick of a switch, all without even having to lay a single foot of fiber”. The feature may also break the terms and conditions of users’ internet connections, which do not allow such resharing, warned Lydia Leong, an analyst at Gartner.'
Watch out for hackers, Britain's spy agency tells smart cities
News Trust 07.05.21
There’s nothing smart about smart cities. You don’t need to rely on foreign boogeymen to imagine a catastrophe in the making:
'Criminals and foreign governments can target technologies deployed to improve city services such as sensors and internet-connected devices to steal sensitive data and cause disruption, said Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). "New digital technology is going to improve our lives and help protect the environment, but it is essential we take steps now to make connected places more resilient to cyber attacks," Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said in a statement… But as more services become interconnected, the risks increase, said the NCSC - the tech security arm of Britain's eavesdropping agency GCHQ, warning that failures could lead to "breaches of privacy" and even "endanger" residents. "The 'smarter' cities become, the more valuable a target they will become because more data will be available to compromise and more disruption can be caused," said Alexander Hicks, a computer science researcher at University College London (UCL).’
Lawsuit Filed Against UK Government to Stop 5G Deployment
We Are The Evidence 30.04.21
Some things will not be reported by the MSM:
‘A group of committed and concerned citizens including doctors, scientists, and engineers throughout the United Kingdom have come together to bring a lawsuit against their government for its failure to protect the health of the country’s citizens, particularly children, from 5G and wireless. The Claimants filed their lawsuit, an application for Judicial Review Proceedings, in the UK’s High Court. The organization they have formed, Legal Action Against 5G, claims that the government has refused to acknowledge, or even study, the potential harms of 5G infrastructure and allowed and promoted its deployment unlawfully. On their website they wrote:“Our case against the UK government is that due process is not being followed, that the risks are being entirely disregarded. This is a national public health issue.” Among other things, the group is calling for a moratorium on the rollout of 5G… One of the UK’s most prominent barristers, Michael Mansfield QC., is leading the legal team representing the claimants. Mansfield is well known in the UK and has led many notable cases. He was named by the UK’s The Legal 500 (an organization which identifies and ranks top legal practitioners internationally) as “the king of human rights work.” He is joined in the case by Philip Rule and Lorna Hackett of Hackett & Dabbs The Claimants’ lawsuit asserts that the government’s actions violate the European Convention on Human Rights and therefore is in violation of section 6 of the UK’s Human Rights Act 1998 which makes it unlawful for a public authority to violate a right guaranteed by a convention. The claimants quote violation of Article 2 of the Convention which protects the right to life, Article 3 which prohibits torture and Article 8 which protects the right for privacy.’
New 5G Flaw Exposes Priority Networks to Location Tracking and Other Attacks
The Hacker News 26.03.21
As presently envisaged, 5G is not a good idea. The cybersecurity flaws’ ramifications are immeasurable:
'New research into 5G architecture has uncovered a security flaw in its network slicing and virtualized network functions that could be exploited to allow data access and denial of service attacks between different network slices on a mobile operator's 5G network… According to the mobile network security firm, this architecture not only poses fresh security concerns that stem from a need to support legacy functions but also from a "massive increase in protocol complexity" as a consequence of migrating from 4G to 5G, and in the process opening the door to a multitude of attacks, including: Malicious access to a slice by brute-forcing its slice differentiator, an optional value set by the network operator for distinguishing between slices of the same type, thereby allowing a rogue slice to gain unauthorized information from a second slice containing Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), which maintains knowledge of a user equipment's location.
- Denial-of-service (DoS) against another network function by taking advantage of a compromised slice.
- The attacks hinge on a design quirk that there are no checks to ensure that the slice identity in the signaling layer request matches that used in the transport layer, thus permitting an adversary connected to the 5G operator's SBA through a rogue network function to get hold of the core network as well as the network slices.'
Nikola Tesla: 5G network could realise his dream of wireless electricity, a century after experiments failed
The Conversation 09.04.21
‘Magic’ and unsafe are both used to describe 5G tech in this article and erroneously calls the new tech a 4G upgrade, which it isn’t. It’s entirely new in its use of mmWave technology:
‘This 5G technology aims to provide a 1,000-fold capacity increase over the last generation, 4G, to allow up to one million users to connect per square kilometre – making those moments searching for signal at music festivals or sports events a thing of the past. To support these upgrades, 5G uses some engineering magic, and this magic comes in three parts: very dense networks with many more masts, special antenna technology, and the inclusion of millimetre wave (mmWave) transmission alongside more traditional bands… But there will be challenges to overcome before then. To provide wireless power, 5G masts will consume around 31kW of energy – equivalent to 10 kettles constantly boiling water. Though concerns that 5G technology can cause cancer have been widely debunked by scientists, this amount of power emanating from masts could be unsafe. A rough calculation suggests that users will need to be kept at least 16 metres away from masts to comply with safety regulations set by the US Federal Communications Commission.’
Scientists: Pedestrians Could Wear Devices to Protect Themselves From Self-Driving Cars
Futurism 08.03.21
We need expensive protection from self-driving cars. Will this charade never end?:
‘The dream of self-driving cars arguably came toppling down in March 2018, when an experimental autonomous vehicle operated by Uber fatally struck a pedestrian in Arizona. Now, New Scientist reports, a team of scientists at Princeton has an idea to protect passersby from similar accidents in the future: they could wear radar-reflecting devices that make them ultra-visible to self-driving vehicles’ sensors… The prototype gadget that Li and his colleagues cooked up cost about $2,000, according to New Scientist, and reduced the distance at which a radar device was able to detect the wearer from 36 meters to 10 meters. At the speed of an automobile, that difference could be enough to save lives — though whether consumers would ever be enthused about wearing an expensive device just to protect them from other people’s cars is an open question.'
EU report warns that AI makes autonomous vehicles ‘highly vulnerable’ to attack
Venture Beat 22.02.21
Looks like the city of the future idea might be on hold for a while:
‘The dream of autonomous vehicles is that they can avoid human error and save lives, but a new European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) report has found that autonomous vehicles are “highly vulnerable to a wide range of attacks” that could be dangerous for passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles. Attacks considered in the report include sensor attacks with beams of light, overwhelming object detection systems, back-end malicious activity, and adversarial machine learning attacks presented in training data or the physical world. “The attack might be used to make the AI ‘blind’ for pedestrians by manipulating for instance the image recognition component in order to misclassify pedestrians. This could lead to havoc on the streets, as autonomous cars may hit pedestrians on the road or crosswalks,” the report reads. “The absence of sufficient security knowledge and expertise among developers and system designers on AI cybersecurity is a major barrier that hampers the integration of security in the automotive sector.”’
'I know your favourite drink': Chinese smart city to put AI in charge
REUTERS 03.12.20
And don’t bother with generating thoughts. We’ll do that for you as well:
‘Danish architecture firm BIG and Chinese tech company Terminus discussed plans to build an AI-run campus-style development in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing during an online panel at Web Summit, a global tech conference. The project named Cloud Valley, plans to use sensors and wifi-connected devices to gather data on everything from weather and pollution to people’s eating habits to automatically meet residents’ needs, said Terminus founder Victor Ai… More than 500 smart cities are being built across China, according to the government, to spur growth amidst a global economic downturn.’
A Hybrid Energy Harvesting Design for On-Body Internet-of-Things (IoT) Networks
PMC 10.01.20
A paper proposing to ‘harvest’ energy through the human body to energise IoT devices is deeply disturbing:
‘A resultant energy harvesting module is designed that integrates the RF energy and thermal energy exhaust by the human body. Both of the proposed energy harvesters receive input energy from the surroundings and convert it to DC voltage. The harvested energy is too small to be directly applied to the load. A voltage booster is used to increase the low voltage level to a sufficient level and is controlled by the power management and control unit. The control unit tool decision is based on the amount of energy harvested, the remaining energy of the battery, and the remaining energy of the supercapacitor… The importance of on-body IoT networks for providing effective healthcare services cannot be overstated. In this context, this paper has presented a hybrid energy harvester to improve upon the network lifetime of IoT healthcare devices. The considered device model makes use of both the RF energy harvester and the thermal energy harvester to increase the lifetime of devices. In general, it is noted that PCE at 2.4 GHz is about 80%, and the energy harvest is about 0.740 J. The thermal energy harvest at a heat gradient of 15∘C is about 0.530 J. Due to the fact that the energy harvested by these two sources can still be improved, the proposed setup employs a supercapacitor to store this energy at a sufficient level to power IoT devices. In general, it has been found that the network lifetime is increased by 24% in the hybrid energy harvesting network, as compared with a network without any energy harvesting. Future studies can build on this work by incorporating other sources of energy harvesting.’
Artificial intelligence could be used to hack connected cars, drones warn security experts
ZDNET 20.11.20
Not enough is being investigated on the subject I believe. Connected ‘anything’ is a hacker’s playground:
‘"As AI applications start to make a major real-world impact, it's becoming clear that this will be a fundamental technology for our future," said Irakli Beridze, head of the Centre for AI and Robotics at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. "However, just as the benefits to society of AI are very real, so is the threat of malicious use," he added… "Cybercriminals have always been early adopters of the latest technology and AI is no different. As this report reveals, it is already being used for password guessing, CAPTCHA breaking and voice cloning, and there are many more malicious innovations in the works," said Martin Roesler, head of forward-looking threat research at Trend Micro One of the reasons the UN, Europol and Trend Micro have released the report is in the hope that it'll be seen by technology companies and manufacturers and that they become aware of the potential dangers they could face – and work to solve problems before they become a major issue.’
The scientists who are creating a bio-internet of things
Technology Review 01.11.19
We’re now in the middle of a covid pandemic, and bacteria was being assessed to infiltrate IoT communications:
‘“Bacteria could be programmed and deployed in different surroundings, such as the sea and ‘smart cities’, to sense for toxins and pollutants, gather data, and undertake bioremediation processes,” they say. Bacteria could even be reprogrammed to treat diseases. “Harbouring DNA that encode useful hormones, for instance, the bacteria can swim to a chosen destination within the human body, [and] produce and release the hormones when triggered by the microbe’s internal sensor,” they suggest. Of course, there are various downsides. While genetic engineering makes possible all kinds of amusing experiments, darker possibilities give biosecurity experts sleepless nights. It’s not hard to imagine bacteria acting as vectors for various nasty diseases, for example…
All living things are subject to its forces. No matter how benign a bacterium might seem, the process of evolution can wreak havoc via mutation and selection, with outcomes that are impossible to predict. Then there is the problem of bad actors influencing this network. The conventional internet has attracted more than its fair share of individuals who release malware for nefarious purposes. The interest they might have in a biological internet of things is the stuff of nightmares. Kim and Poslad acknowledge some of these issues, saying that creating a bacteria-based network presents fresh ethical issues. “Such challenges offer a rich area for discussion on the wider implication of bacteria driven Internet of Things systems,” they conclude with some understatement.’
Smart appliances may not be worth money in long run, warns Which?
The Guardian 08.06.20
Smart equipment redundant and not worth the money:
‘The consumer group said that smart fridges, dishwashers and tumble dryers cost hundreds of pounds more than their conventional counterparts, but in some cases could be rendered obsolete after as little as two years… Natalie Hitchins, the head of home products and services at Which?, said: “Until manufacturers are clear and upfront about how long they will support these products for, consumers could be better off avoiding smart appliances that might turn ‘dumb’ after only a few years and stick to more reliable and significantly cheaper non-smart alternatives.”’
Sidewalk Labs is ditching its plans for a high-tech Toronto neighborhood
Fast Company 07.05.20
All of dystopia nightmare city plans laid to rest:
‘“Today there is global financial uncertainty, but Waterfront Toronto has confidence in the city’s economic future, and will take the long view when making real estate and development decisions on Toronto’s waterfront,” said Waterfront Toronto Board Chair Stephen Diamond in a statement. “While we won’t be pursuing this particular project, the current health emergency makes us feel even more strongly about the importance of reimagining cities for the future,” Doctoroff said. But for now, it seems, the uncertainty of the present has put the future on pause.’
Coronavirus threatens to knock South Korea off 5G leadership perch
REUTERS 03.04.20
One can only hope that all other players meet the same fate:
‘South Korea is struggling to retain its lead in global next-generation 5G telecom services, as the coronavirus pandemic further cools sentiment of consumers whose interest in the technology has waned due to cost and quality concerns…
The 5G slowdown in South Korea shows how the coronavirus could hobble the takeoff of the technology globally. Smartphone makers, including Apple Inc, which is currently scheduled to launch 5G phones in the fall, had been counting on 5G for a sales boost after two years of industry-wide contraction. Plans for futuristic services such as self-driving cars and fully automated factories and cities could also be affected by 5G delays. Spain, Italy, France and Austria have postponed auctions for 5G spectrum because of the coronavirus.’
Trump signs laws to boost 5G security, broadband availability
CNET 24.03.20
Nothing like a pandemic to sign draconian laws in. No consultations (ha!) and certainly no health testing:
‘The House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by chairman Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Ranking Member Greg Walden, a Republican from Oregon, applauded the passage of the bills. "The bills signed into law today by the president are critical to ensuring that all Americans can access broadband and that our networks are secure and trusted," the committee said in a statement. "The need for connectivity is even more critical now that millions of Americans are teleworking and learning from home in response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai thanked Congress for its bipartisan efforts on the Broadband DATA legislation and also applauded the resident for signing the bill into law. But Pai said that he hoped Congress would also fund its implementation.
"It is vital for Congress to provide the FCC as soon as possible with the appropriations necessary to implement the Act," he said. "Right now, the FCC does not have the funding to carry out the Act, as we have warned for some time.”'
Toyota, NTT team up on developing smart city platforms
REUTERS 24.03.20
Two giants get together:
‘Toyota Motor Corp and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp have agreed to work together on developing smart cities and will invest 200 billion yen (1.55 billion pounds) in each other to cement the relationship, the two companies said on Tuesday. The two companies will develop a data platform which will compile and analyse information from homes, vehicles, and public institutions, which will be used to create new services focusing on transportation, health, and energy usage.’
How to design a smart city that’s built on empowerment—not corporate surveillance
Fast Company 03.03.20
The baugruppen model in Germany offers a much better vision for smart cities than those found in the US:
‘And yet, if we want civic or urban tech to truly be “people-centric” and to solve real problems, they must do the hard work of building civic capacity. That doesn’t mean tasks like parking management or trash collection should never be automated—far from it. New technologies have a crucial role to play in automating drudgery and allow residents to spend more time on things that matter.
But that is the “why” and “how.” Diverse groups must have the opportunity to deliberate and act on these questions. This is a task that should never be automated—certainly not by shareholder-dominated companies.’
Flaw in Philips Smart Light Bulbs Exposes Your WiFi Network to Hackers
The Hacker News 05.02.20
‘ZigBee is a widely used wireless technology designed to let each device communicate with any other device on the network. The protocol has been built into tens of millions of devices worldwide, including Amazon Echo, Samsung SmartThings, Belkin Emo and more.
"Through this exploitation, a threat actor can infiltrate a home or office's computer network over-the-air, spreading ransomware or spyware, by using nothing but a laptop and an antenna from over 100 meters," the Check Point researchers told The Hacker News.
Check Point also confirmed that the buffer overflow happens on a component called the "bridge" that accepts remote commands sent to the bulb over Zigbee protocol from other devices like a mobile app or Alexa home assistant.’
The Global Risks Report 2020 from World Economic Forum
15.01.20
‘The IoT is also amplifying the potential cyberattack surface. It is estimated that there are already over 21 billion IoT devices worldwide, and their number will double by 2025. Attacks on IoT devices increased by more than 300% in the first half of 2019,17 while in September 2019, IoTs were used to take down Wikipedia through classic distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, and the risk of IoT devices being used as intermediaries is expected to increase. In 2021, cybercrime damages might reach US$6 trillion20— what would be equivalent to the GDP of the world’s third largest economy.’
SPECIAL WALLPAPER BOOSTS WIFI SIGNAL BY 10-TIMES
The Independent 04.02.20
Maximising interconnectivity:
‘Researchers believe surfaces equipped with RFocus technology will prove most useful in smart homes within poor signal areas, as it is difficult to attach strong receivers to small internet-connected devices.
It is not the first time the concept of smart wallpaper has been proposed, with previous research focussing on how miniature electronics like speakers, microphones and sensors could be integrated into surfaces.
Future homes, factories and workplaces could conceivably incorporate a mix of these technologies to seamlessly assimilate devices into people's lives.’
Smart homes will turn dumb overnight as Charter kills security service
Ars Technica 1.17.20
Once your smart company shuts down, your devices become obsolete:
‘Charter is killing its home-security service and telling customers that security devices they've purchased will stop working once the service is shut down on February 5.’
2ND LARGEST INSURANCE FIRM CLASSIFIES 5G AS A “HIGH IMPACT” LIABILITY
Silver Doctors 6.12.19
‘The top five emerging risks in our SONAR 2019 report are digital technology’s clash with legacy hardware, potential threats from the spread of 5G mobile networks, increasingly limited fiscal and monetary flexibility by central banks, genetic testing’s implications on life insurers, and the impact of climate change on the life and health sector.’
Consumer Reports warns IoT camera makers to improve their security
IoTNews 15.12.19
IoT cameras are the worse offenders with regards to security:
‘IoT cameras are one of the worst offenders when it comes to security. Given that cameras are essentially an eye into your premises; they’re among the devices consumers expect to be most secure.’
The case for ... making low-tech 'dumb' cities instead of 'smart' ones
The Guardian 15.12.19
The case from making low tech cities after thousands of years of experience:
‘It is eminently possible to weave ancient knowledge of how to live symbiotically with nature into how we shape the cities of the future, before this wisdom is lost forever. We can rewild our urban landscapes, and apply low-tech ecological solutions to drainage, wastewater processing, flood survival, local agriculture and pollution that have worked for indigenous peoples for thousands of years, with no need for electronic sensors, computer servers or extra IT support’.
Triton is the world’s most murderous malware, and it’s spreading
Technology Review 5.3.19
MIT article on hacking connected devices:
‘Over the past decade or so, companies have been adding internet connectivity and sensors to all kinds of industrial equipment… All this can make businesses much more efficient and productive, which explains why they are expected to spend around $42 billion this year on industrial internet gear such as smart sensors and automated control systems, according to the ARC Group, which tracks the market. But the risks are also clear: the more connected equipment there is, the more targets hackers have to aim at.’
Over 100 Million IoT Attacks Detected in 1H 2019
Info Security 16.10.19
Kaspersky Labs find that:
‘A security vendor has detected over 100 million attacks on IoT endpoints in the first half of 2019 alone, highlighting the continued threat to unsecured connected devices… “Judging by the enlarged number of attacks and criminals’ persistence, we can say that IoT is a fruitful area for attackers that use even the most primitive methods, like guessing password and login combinations,” said Kaspersky security researcher, Dan Demeter.”’
Smart Devices Leaking Data To Tech Giants Raises New IoT Privacy Issues
CPO Magazine 1.10.19
‘What the researchers found was astounding – 72 of the 81 IoT devices shared data with third parties completely unrelated to the original manufacturer. And the data they shared went far beyond just basic information about the physical device being used – it also included IP addresses, device specifications and configurations, usage habits, and location data.’
Google Patents Smart Home Tech To Personalize Your Life
CB Insights 1.10.19
‘Sensors, for example, would collect information about household member activity and their “goals” in order to suggest and implement policies. This might include turning off the TV when a child has been watching it for too long, or collectively using 5% less energy within the home…. For one, these sensors would be used to identify highly personal and sensitive information about users, like when they are arguing with raised voices, when people enter or exit the house, or even if household members eat together or separately, and how often. Access to this kind of information could cause questions surrounding the use of this data…. Further, many of the examples outlined in the patent revolve around gathering a wide range of information on children, which could spark concerns around the treatment of the data of minors. Another concern could be the manipulation of the policy manager system by hackers or bad actors… Additionally, system malfunctions could occur. For example, if a smart oven is turned on accidentally, this could increase risk of a disaster.’
Surveying the industrial IoT surveys to see what matters
StaceyOnIot 16.09.19
IoT industry report:
‘However, addressing supply chain problems as a primary reason to invest in IoT ranked fairly low on the Honeywell survey. Which makes sense. Improving your supply chain is a complicated process that requires linking a company’s internal data to data from partners. Right now, we don’t have in place supply chain-specific data-sharing agreements, standards for linking that data, or secure ways to share it among organizations.’
Smart meter rollout delayed for four years
BBC 17.09.19
Smart meters rollout delayed:
‘The promise of smart meters was that readings would be automatic, billing would be easier, and a new world of flexible charges would be ushered in. In practice, millions of people found they had new meters which did not work properly if they switched suppliers - and millions more have not been given the technology at all.’
Why your smart meter may not be so smart after all
BBC 13.09.19
Smart meters are ineffective:
‘The auto-switching service Look After My Bills has discovered that Bristol Energy, British Gas, Ecotricity, EON and Octopus are still installing some first generation meters in the North, and Nabuh Energy, Simplicity and Utilita are only installing the first generation after encountering difficulties with the new system.’