Florida-based mobile device maker BLU has settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over charges it allowed a Chinese partner to collect detailed personal customer information from some of its devices without authorization or consent.
Tag: medical devices
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 […]
NotPetya Infection Left Merck Short of Key HPV Vaccine
The NotPetya malware infection shut down pharmaceutical giant Merck’s production of the pediatric vaccine GARDASIL last June, forcing the company to borrow the drug from a stockpile maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to meet demand.
A Year Later: FDA approves Software Fix for Security Flaws in Pacemakers
In-brief: The FDA as approved a software update to software security holes in pacemakers made by Abbott. But doctors and patients will have to weigh the risks of apply the patch.
Massachusetts on Front Lines (Again) in Battle for Right to Repair
In-brief: After legislation in five states stalled in the Spring, states like Massachusetts will be on the front line of renewed efforts to pass pro-consumer laws that create a “right to repair” for cell phones, medical devices and other software-driven products. At stake could be the right of consumers to control Internet of Things devices they purchase for use in their home, on their person or in their business.
