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The Internet-of-Things! What could possibly go wrong?

· How very odd! · Internet

pornhub-on-a-fridge-lol

I admit I LOL’ed when I saw this 😀 What else could go wrong, I wonder?

October 5th, 2016 |

14 comments to The Internet-of-Things! What could possibly go wrong?

  • William O. B'Livion
    October 5, 2016 at 9:40 pm

    Rule number zero, if untrusted users have access to the console you’re GOING to need astroglide.

  • Perry E. Metzger
    October 5, 2016 at 10:33 pm

    The newly preferred term is the “Botnet of Things”, or BoT.

  • Nicholas (Unlicensed Joker!) Gray
    October 6, 2016 at 3:47 am

    I wonder when some TV-making company, maybe Samsung, will have a system that changes incoming commercials so that rivals never appear on the screens of its’ products? Would customers know, or worry?

  • Tim Newman
    October 6, 2016 at 6:02 am

    Related:

    Indonesian police have arrested a man accused of hacking into a public billboard in Jakarta and streaming a pornographic film.
    The 24-year-old IT analyst has admitted the crime, said police, for which he could face up to six years in jail.
    Motorists were left in shock last week when footage from a Japanese porn film was displayed on an electronic screen in south Jakarta.
    The video ran for five minutes on Friday before power was eventually cut.

    😈

  • Rob Fisher
    October 6, 2016 at 10:08 am

    At the very least things are going to need software updates to patch security problems as they are discovered. And it has to be completely automatic. I don’t see people manually updating the firmware in their lightbulbs. Even people who know better are liable to choose convenience over security when they have to get the job done.

  • Rob Fisher
    October 6, 2016 at 10:35 am

    Here is a comment from the Reg article about IoT DDOS: “IoT should be banned. Trouble is finding a politician in the UK who understands.”

    Here is another:

    “….what can an IOT device owner do to minimize the risk of their device being used this way?” Put a decently configured firewall between the IoT devices and the Internet to stop them being a nuisance to everyone else.

    That last one makes it sound so easy. Even I don’t know how to easily stop a particular device from being hacked. NAT should stop incoming requests, but these devices dial out and phone home. If I did stop them doing that, they might stop working altogether, or fail to download updates. Never mind the increasing IT support needed for my family, friends and neighbours. Not going to happen.

    An IoT device is not fundamentally different from a computer. Most people’s computers run Windows, OSX or Ubuntu and it is increasingly hard for an ordinary user to fail to install security updates.

    But there will for a while, at least, be manufacturers who just make cheap junk that is completely insecure and able to do damage.

    I don’t know what the solution is but it won’t come from the state and it won’t come from educating users. Possibly there is is market or game-theory solution, or some technical thing the ISPs could do. Or it will be a perpetual low-level annoyance like spam.

  • haiku
    October 6, 2016 at 11:15 am

    The attack suffered by Brian Krebs was relatively “small” when compared to that suffered by OVH:

  • Andrew Duffin
    October 6, 2016 at 11:31 am

    If “things” are doing real measurable damage there is presumably potential for lawsuits – particularly Stateside.

    Once the manufacturers understand the legal and financial risks they’re running, perhaps they will either fix the “things” or stop making internet-connected “things” at all.

    The latter, imho, would not be a problem.

  • Laird
    October 6, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Kickstarter is touting an IoT Invention Kit, so you can make your own IoT devices. That genie isn’t going back into the bottle.

  • bobby b
    October 6, 2016 at 5:12 pm

    Most every illicit capture of an IOT device happens because buyers neglect to read the manuals and re-set device passwords from their default state.

    Drive along any suburban street with your laptop running, and you’ll see all sorts of signals coming in. Chances are, for 90% of them, the password is still set at “admin” or “12345”, the two most common default settings.

  • Richard Thomas
    October 9, 2016 at 9:10 am

    Bobby b, I have the same combination on my luggage.

  • Joe Wooten
    October 14, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    From the local Energy Usage Supervisor:

    Ah Mr. de Havilland, I see you have the coldness dial set way too low on your new refrigerator. You are using too much electricity, so in the name of Gaia, I am re-setting it to a more appropriate, warmer level. Hmmmmm, I can also see your household thermostat is too high, I will lower it so as to reduce your carbon footprint.

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