Category Archives: Geoff Webb

Would you let Amazon unlock your door?

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Amazon recently announced the launch of the Amazon Key, allowing the Amazon delivery person to open your door in order to place your package inside, where presumably it will be safe from theft, the weather, roaming wolf packs, bears, and general mishap. Not all the commentary about this service (and associated camera, lock, etc.) have been positive. In fact, some has been rather negative or at least satirical. Yes, of course there are concerns over … More → Continue reading Would you let Amazon unlock your door?→

Don’t let cybercrime hold your innovation to ransom

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When things break, our natural instinct is to look for someone to blame. Why? Because nothing happens by accident. It’s either done on purpose, a casualty of neglect or lack of preparation. Trust me, as someone who has worked in the security industry for over 20 years, I’ve seen a lot of issues arise and nearly all of them are down to one of the above. Thanks to news headlines regularly sensationalising the hottest cybercrime … More → Continue reading Don’t let cybercrime hold your innovation to ransom→

Ready, set, race to the IoT hub

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Battle lines are being drawn. Armies are being marshaled. Territory is being eyed and strategies drawn up with military precision. But this war is about to be fought in your home and the giants squaring up to fight for supremacy are already household names – Google and Amazon. Both of their offerings for home smart hubs, Googles Home and Amazon’s Echo family, are just starting to gain traction. And while they may be often positioned … More → Continue reading Ready, set, race to the IoT hub→

Will the IoT force truck stops?

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“Not with a bang, but with a whimper,” that was how T.S. Eliot described how the world would end, in his 1925 poem “The Hollow Men.” Things don’t always end in cataclysm; sometimes they just… stop, which might seem awfully prophetic in a few years… One of the more interesting topics for conversation at RSA Conference 2017 in San Francisco this year was the IoT and the next generation of ransomware. After all, if you … More → Continue reading Will the IoT force truck stops?→

The gift that keeps giving away your data

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If you unwrapped a shiny, new connected device this holiday season, it’s likely that you’re in the honeymoon stage, reaping many benefits from your new device. However, this story about a smart toy that is popping up on a variety of news sources makes you think twice about what happens after the initial “oohs” and “ahhs” subside. The short version is that consumer groups have lodged a complaint with the FTC over a couple of … More → Continue reading The gift that keeps giving away your data→

Building the IoT monster

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When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, she imagined the misguided doctor assembling his creature from dead body parts, who instead of elevating science, created something dark and terrible. A modern day Mary might well imagine the monster being assembled, not from arms and legs, from nanny-cams, door locks, and DVRs. It would be hard to miss the events of the past few weeks. In September, security reporter Brian Krebs was hit by a massive DDoS attack. … More → Continue reading Building the IoT monster→

Democracy for the Internet of Things

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In the past I’ve written a number of times on the way that the IoT potentially changes the relationship between governments and their constituents – and a profound change that will be. Yet, this change is a two way street and perhaps the IoT will open the door to a more direct kind of democracy, where citizens and government are more intimately and inextricably linked. An August 2016 article published by the Pew Research Foundation … More → Continue reading Democracy for the Internet of Things→

IoT-based DDoS attacks on the rise

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Cybercriminal networks are increasingly taking advantage of lax Internet of Things device security to spread malware and create zombie networks, or botnets, unbeknownst to their device owners. When lax security becomes a huge problem Symantec’s Security Response team has discovered that cybercriminals are hijacking home networks and everyday consumer connected devices to help carry out DDoS attacks on more profitable targets, usually large companies. To succeed, they need cheap bandwidth and get it by stitching … More → Continue reading IoT-based DDoS attacks on the rise→

IoT Village uncovers 47 security vulnerabilities across 23 devices

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New dangers in both home security and municipal power facilities were revealed as the results of the 2nd Annual IoT Village, held at DEF CON 24 in Las Vegas. More than 47 new vulnerabilities were discovered across 23 different devices from 21 brand name manufacturers. Between talks, workshops, and onsite hacking contests, IoT Village’s goal is to uncover security vulnerabilities in order to draw attention to the need for greater security considerations in the devices … More → Continue reading IoT Village uncovers 47 security vulnerabilities across 23 devices→

The explosive growth of the IoT security market

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The IoT security market is estimated to grow from USD 7.90 billion in 2016 to USD 36.95 billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 36.1%, according to MarketsandMarkets. The major forces driving the IoT security market are rise in security concerns for critical infrastructures such as utilities, smart grids, and manufacturing facilities and stringent regulations and compliance requirements. Nowadays, cloud-based security solutions are providing good opportunities for the growth of the IoT security market by … More → Continue reading The explosive growth of the IoT security market→