Tag: Internet of Things
Moving beyond fear, uncertainty and doubt on cyber attacks
Too often, the conversation on cybersecurity is predicated on fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD): amplifying the latest news of how good hackers are getting, setting off alarm bells when it comes to vulnerabilities. Headlines only highlight the growing sophistication of hackers and introduce readers to terms like “botnet” and “Internet of Things” often without the proper context. The danger in this, especially with so much noise about so many well-publicized attacks, is that people become desensitized and lax about cybersecurity in general. That creates a herd mentality through which people will grow numb and feel helpless — what else can one feel …
Hackable medical devices and other security threats of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Last year, researchers told the DerbyCon security conference that thousands of medical devices such as X-ray machines, MRI scanners and infusion pumps for medication were vulnerable to hacking. Inexcusably, many organizations still used the default passwords provided by manufacturers and a number were connected to the internet, posing not only a health risk to patients, but also a means to compromise personal information. These are just some of the risks associated with the internet of things (IoT), the movement to plug everything from cars to refrigerators into the internet. IoT is one of many tech buzzwords on people’s lips now. …
IoT and Your Health
Having attended medical school, I understand that the Internet of Things (IoT) offers health-management solutions beyond the medical devices used to address problems faced by an aging society. My wife and I have a daughter who turned four last year. When she was born, I got the notion that it would be useful to attach various sensors to her crib to assist in her upbringing. At that time, IoT-related devices were not as obtainable as they are now, so I scrounged around Tokyo’s Akihabara district for sensors that I linked to a personal computer to devise a makeshift IoT crib. …