In-brief: The hack of VTech, a maker of technology products for children, has exposed sensitive data on hundreds of thousands of children, the company acknowledged this week. Also exposed: the toy industry’s growing and unregulated appetite for information on the children who play with their toys.
Electronics
Viewing Data From Smart TVs Used to Push Ads to All Your Screens
In-brief: Electronics maker Vizio is the latest smart television brand caught harvesting the viewing habits of its customers and selling the data to advertisers, highlighting legal loopholes that connected devices are exploiting.
Under The Hood: Wireless Software Links Teslas, Drones
In-brief: The same wireless software that powers a consumer quadcopter is also under the hood of Tesla’s Model S, according to a leading security expert – underscoring the increasingly long and complex software supply chain for connected products.
Security Holes in Power Analyzers More Bad News for Industry
In-brief: Software security holes in widely used industrial equipment known as “power quality analysers” (sp) could enable remote attackers to disrupt or corrupt operations at firms across industries, according to a report released by the firm Applied Risk.
Realtors, OTA Publish Provisioning Checklist for Smart Homes
In-brief: smart homes aren’t just sold – they must also be ‘de-provisioned’ by the seller and ‘re-provisioned’ by the buyer. The National Association of Realtors and the Online Trust Alliance have a new checklist for doing so.