In this spotlight edition of the podcast, sponsored by Trusted Computing Group* Steve Hanna joins us to talk about TCG’s 20th anniversary and how the group is tooling up to confront the challenge of securing billions of Internet of Things devices.
standards
Experts Propose Standard for IoT Firmware Updates
Bleeping Computer reported that a new proposal submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) defines a secure framework for delivering firmware updates to Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Insecure software updates for embedded devices (aka ‘firmware’) have been a frequent source of security lapses on mobile and embedded devices like Internet connected webcams. Filed on October 30, the “IoT Firmware Update Architecture,” establishes security requirements for device makers to implement when designing firmware update mechanisms for connected devices. A familiar list of features The proposed rules include features that have long been recommended by security experts to permit safe handling of software updates. Among them the use of cryptographically signed updates and public key cryptography to provide end-to-end security and verify firmware images, as well as the ability to work with low-power and resource constrained IoT devices. Firmware has been the source of widespread security issues. For example, low-cost […]
Update: Flaw in widely used Wi-Fi Standard could allow snooping
Hundreds of millions of wireless devices may be affected by a flaw in WPA-2, a widely used standard for securing wireless Internet connections. (Updated to add commentary by Bob Rudis of Rapid 7.)
Podcast – Smart Vehicle Security: A Report from the Lab
In-brief: In this Security Ledger podcast, Paul speaks with Sameer Dixit of Spirent Security Labs, a leading tester of connected (“smart”) vehicles. Truly secure, connected vehicles may be years away, he says. In the meantime, security flaws and poorly implemented features are a major issue, Dixit says, with many car companies still preferring bolt on security fixes over secure design.
Online Trust Alliance to merge with Internet Society
In-brief: The Online Trust Alliance, which has focused on issues related to privacy and security on the Internet of Things, is merging with The Internet Society, home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the groups said in an announcement Wednesday.
