An unintended and dangerous side effect of smart devices is being discussed at Fujitsu, specifically the threat posed by internet connected light bulbs but it applies to all networked devices. The hypothetical problem is a massive DDoS attack launched by malware that has infected light bulbs causing much more damage than one launched by infected computers seeing as how most people have many more light bulbs than they do electronic devices. There were also concerns raised about the possibility of nefarious people getting a hold of the usage data and determining when the best time to break into a house would be. Read this story over at The Register and never look at a lightbulb the same way again.
"Fujitsu’s CTO has sketched a nightmare vision of lightbulbs turning on their human masters in massive denial of service attacks if industry doesn’t get a grip on the security of the “internet of things”."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Skype makes a U-turn on desktop API shutdown @ The Inquirer
- It's the Shiz: Mutant RAT spotted gnawing at SAP apps @ The Register
- Prem Watsa takes control of BlackBerry as tech vultures circle firm @ The Register
- A Playstation 4 Teardown @ Slashdot
- Sandberg Worldwide Joint Giveaway @ NikKTech
I would be more worried about
I would be more worried about fire hazards.
And then probably your Electricity providers that boost the usage to be able to charge you more during peak hours (high rate period).
As for most of us… we work in the dark 😛
I guess I better leave my bear traps at all possible entries so I don’t get disturbed in the middle of an intensive coding session.
Someone please clue me in.
Someone please clue me in. My brain can’t quite parse out the need to have my lightbulbs connected to the internet for any reason.
I somehow imagine some hacker turning off all my lights while I am in the house, alone, in the dark. Or turning everything on while I’m away just for the fun of driving up my electric bill without my knowledge…
Goofus Maximus;
If you
Goofus Maximus;
If you explore various new commercial/public/government/education buildings, (even new homes) all of there internal electronic system are setup on a network. And today, most of them can be controlled from a distance, at home, outside, data centres, etc.
If you have an iPhone or Android, look at all those APP that allows you to control various electronic devices remotely. Most of those APP require a Data plan, because it must connect over the Internet to access those particular networks.
Light fixtures is one of these many electronic devices that are connected to the network. A lot of the light system are programmed on a schedule and for various reason, one may want to control lights in a certain area, such as those area where light switches do not exist, but lighting is automated.
I hope I’ve clarified the purpose of this article and answered your question.
If you can’t visit these places, there are also many movies that demonstrate these usage and also possible undesired scenarios 🙂 Also, there has been some references about this subject on some of Pcper’s Podcast 😀 (but I enjoy the humour that follows the examples/references)
To be frank, it’s the same
To be frank, it’s the same reason a bunch of self involved people buy every BitFit, FuelBand, internet-connected scale, and everything else and then tweet the results of everything to the internet. This weird self-absorbed need to document and quantify every aspect of everything in their life from their sleep and eating to their light bulbs and smoke detectors.