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Stanford Starts the 'Secure Internet of Things Project'

An anonymous reader writes: The internet-of-things is here to stay. Lots of people now have smart lights, smart thermostats, smart appliances, smart fire detectors, and other internet-connect gadgets installed in their houses. The security of those devices has been an obvious and predictable problem since day one. Manufacturers can't be bothered to provide updates to $500 smartphones more than a couple years after they're released; how long do you think they'll be worried about security updates for a $50 thermostat? Security researchers have been vocal about this, and they've found lots of vulnerabilities and exploits before hackers have had a chance to. But the manufacturers have responded in the wrong way.

Instead of developing a more robust approach to device security, they've simply thrown encryption at everything. This makes it temporarily harder for malicious hackers to have their way with the devices, but also shuts out consumers and white-hat researchers from knowing what the devices are doing. Stanford, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan have now started the Secure Internet of Things Project, which aims to promote security and transparency for IoT devices. They hope to unite regulators, researchers, and manufacturers to ensure nascent internet-connected tech is developed in a way that respects customer privacy and choice.

2 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Dumb as a Rock by pubwvj · · Score: 5, Informative

    Your post is just nonsense.

    Our stone house only cost to build $7,000. That is not expensive. It's so low cost that I built it out of pocket money without needing to get a mortgage to build my home. This means I'm not paying interest on that too. Additionally the taxes are lower than a comparable sized stick built house so each year I save on taxes. And the maintenance is almost zero.

    Our house cost less to build, less to maintain, less to heat and cool and is taxed less. It's extremely affordable. Not only that it is simple so most anyone could build their own making it accessible.

    Our house will also last for hundreds to thousands of years instead of the typical 25 to 50 years of stick built houses.

    Dumb rock house wins again.

    You may not like losing but at least make sense with your responses.

  2. Re:Dumb as a Rock by pubwvj · · Score: 1, Informative

    Who? I did. It has full plumbing, heating, electric, etc. It is interesting how someone like you says something is not true when you have no facts to base it on.

    By the way, you lose the wager. Pay up.