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The Coming IT Nightmare of Unpatchable Systems

snydeq (1272828) writes "Insecure by design and trusted by default, embedded systems present security concerns that could prove crippling if not addressed by fabricators, vendors, and customers alike, InfoWorld reports. Routers, smart refrigerators, in-pavement traffic-monitoring systems, or crop-monitoring drones — 'the trend toward systems and devices that, once deployed, stubbornly "keep on ticking" regardless of the wishes of those who deploy them is fast becoming an IT security nightmare made real, affecting everything from mom-and-pop shops to power stations. This unpatchable hell is a problem with many fathers, from recalcitrant vendors to customers wary of — or hostile to — change. But with the number and diversity of connected endpoints expected to skyrocket in the next decade, radical measures are fast becoming necessary to ensure that today's "smart" devices and embedded systems don't haunt us for years down the line.'"

4 of 240 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Nightmare of Slashdot ads sending me to viruses by david.emery · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, that would be less of a problem if you didn't surf SlashDot using your refrigerator or crop-monitoring drone...

  2. Fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Explain to me where I'm supposed to get my GEOS updated for my Commodore 64? And I sent in my warranty registration card, but I never heard back from them.

  3. Re:Nightmare of Slashdot ads sending me to viruses by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 3, Funny

    You know, I'll bet if you fixed your hosts file...

  4. Re:This "nightmare" rigns a bell by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    That was actually January 3982. It was easier just to let it roll over the first time round.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.