In this week’s podcast: researcher Kevin Fu of University of Michigan discusses his work on attacks that use physics to manipulate connected devices. Also: Mark Loveless of DUO discusses his research into how poor implementation of wireless protocols make personal security trackers a privacy risk. And have we seen peak ransomware? Adam Kujawa of the firm Malwarebytes joins us to talk about the findings of that company’s State of Malware Report.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Flaw affects Billions of Devices and has a Name: BlueBorne
In-brief: Dubbed BlueBorne, the flaw could affect billions of devices that use the Bluetooth wireless protocol, enabling remote hacks, the security firm Armis warned.
Security Pro tilts at Smart Drill, finds It doesn’t suck
In-brief: Is there cause for hope? A new analysis of a connected power drill by a researcher at DUO Security finds that it’s actually pretty secure. But challenges remain for connected device makers.
Telepresence Robots? Hackable.
In-brief: Residents of Uncanny Valley have something more to worry about: telepresence robots by the firm Double Robotics contain numerous, exploitable vulnerabilities, the firm Rapid7 reports.
Verizon, Qualcomm Back LTE for Secure Internet of Things
File this one under “Darwinian battle for wireless survival.” Verizon and Qualcomm used the CTIA Super Mobility show in Las Vegas today to unveil plans to use Verizon’s ThingSpace IoT platform as a service with Qualcomm’s LTE modems, with greater security for IoT deployments as a major selling point. According to an announcement by the companies, Verizon will pre-integrate its ThingSpace within Qualcomm’s MDM9206 Category M (Cat M1) LTE modem. Verizon’s 4G LTE network will become the intended backbone for “building, deploying and managing IoT applications customized for a wide-range of use cases,” according to the statement. 4G networks have widely been perceived as too expensive and overpowered for many IoT deployments, such as low power sensors and single-function or intermittently connected endpoints. The new arrangement is intended to grab some of that low power business back from competing short-range technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zwave and Zigbee, or from low power […]