Tag: software

Another Week, Another Dangerous Mobile Firmware Vulnerability

In-brief: The security firm Anubis Networks said in a blog post that it has discovered a mystery code by the firm Ragentek that is used in a number of low-cost Android smart phones, used across 55 different device models.

On The IOT: The Idea Is the Easy Part

I have a thing for makerspaces and hackerspaces, if you haven’t already noticed from my previous posts. To me, they are the epitome of what I love about the Internet of Things (IoT). It is something I call the democratization of innovation. The maker and hacker movements are global and are changing the landscape. They help to put technology and equipment, the opportunity to learn, develop ideas, prototype, and socialize and network in the reach of many who would not have otherwise had the opportunity just a few years ago. They are, to me, the nucleus of an evolution, if not revolution, of both innovation and society. I like to visit local hacker or makerspaces when I travel. At last year’s Internet of Things Solutions World Congress (IoTSWC) I learned about MADE Makerspace Barcelona, but just couldn’t make it there in person. A visit to MADE was locked into my […]

On Capitol Hill: Calls For A Federal Role in Securing World of Dangerous Things

Some of the nation’s top experts on cyber security and the Internet of Things urged Congress to take a more forceful approach to securing a burgeoning population of Internet connected devices before security and quality issues undermine consumer confidence. Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce were told in separate testimony that security problems such as the recent denial of service attacks linked to the Mirai botnet will become more common and could threaten the integrity of the Internet and of the nation’s broader economy if left unaddressed. The Committee heard from Dr. Kevin Fu of the University of Michigan, Bruce Schneier of IBM and a fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Dale Drew, the Chief Security Officer of Level3 Communications. All three, to varying degrees, advised a bigger government role in setting standards for devices connected to the Internet.  And all three warned that a failure to […]

DHS Releases Principles for Securing Internet of Things

In-brief: a little more than a month after revealing that it was working on guidelines for securing The Internet of Things, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday published a set of what it calls “strategic principles” for IoT security.

Software Used in Mobile Phones Sends Texts, Location Data and Contacts Back To China

In-brief: software used in at least one brand of smart phones sold in the U.S. was found to secretly send private information about the phone’s owner back to servers in China, according to a report by the security firm Kryptowire.