Mashable: Is that fancy smart gadget a privacy nightmare? A new guide has answers.. “As the inevitable creep of ‘smart’ features and products continues to turn everything from your refrigerator to your thermostat into a connected device, it’s worth taking a moment to consider just what you’re giving up in exchange for this wannabe Jetsons future. Thankfully, Mozilla has done a lot of that work for you with a new guide dedicated to just how insecure many smart devices are.”
IoT
New York Times: Internet Hacking Is About to Get Much Worse
In the New York Times, from Bruce Schneier: Internet Hacking Is About to Get Much Worse. “It’s no secret that computers are insecure. Stories like the recent Facebook hack, the Equifax hack and the hacking of government agencies are remarkable for how unremarkable they really are. They might make headlines for a few days, but they’re just the newsworthy tip of a very large iceberg.”
MIT Technology Review: For safety’s sake, we must slow innovation in internet-connected things
MIT Technology Review: For safety’s sake, we must slow innovation in internet-connected things. “In a new book called Click Here to Kill Everybody, Bruce Schneier argues that governments must step in now to force companies developing connected gadgets to make security a priority rather than an afterthought. The author of an influential security newsletter and blog, Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School…. Schneier spoke with MIT Technology Review about the risks we’re running in an ever more connected world and the policies he thinks are urgently needed to address them.”
How-To Geek: You Can Now Schedule Custom Routines in Google Home
How-To Geek: You Can Now Schedule Custom Routines in Google Home. “A few months ago, Google added a feature to Google Assistant called Custom Routines that allows users to create strings of commands that can be executed with just a single phrase. Starting today, you can schedule those commands. The new scheduling option is found inside the Routines menu, though it’s worth noting that it’s only available for new routines, not ones that were created before the feature was live. That means you’ll need to recreate your existing routines if you’d like to schedule them. Bummer.”
EurekAlert: Purdue researchers receive $6 million to improve security for IoT devices
EurekAlert: Purdue researchers receive $6 million to improve security for IoT devices . “A research team at Purdue University has received a grant for $6 million from the Office of Naval Research, a division of the U.S. Department of the Navy, to improve security of electronic devices in physical environments or industrial control systems.”
Techdirt: ‘Smart’ TVs Remain The Poster Child For Dismal Privacy, Transparency & Security Standards
Techdirt: ‘Smart’ TVs Remain The Poster Child For Dismal Privacy, Transparency & Security Standards. “The dumpster fire that passes for security and privacy standards in the internet of things space is by now pretty well understood. It’s also pretty clear that in this sector, ‘smart TV’ vendors have been among the laziest sectors around in terms of making sure private consumer data is adequately encrypted, and that consumers understand that their viewing habits and even some in-room conversations are being hoovered up and monetized, usually sloppily.”
TechCrunch: Peelable circuits make it easy to Internet all the things
TechCrunch: Peelable circuits make it easy to Internet all the things . “Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Virginia are now able to create ‘tiny, thin-film electronic circuits peelable from a surface,’ the first step in creating an unobtrusive Internet-of-Things solution. The peelable stickers can sit flush to an object’s surface and be used as sensors or wireless communications systems.”
