IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME
The Internet of Things (an actual term used to refer to the ever growing list of internet connected gadgets populating our homes) seems like a good idea. I, your blogess, love the idea of walking into a room and commanding it to tend to my environmental needs, like Picard dictating his favored ambient temperature, light level, and music selection all at once before ordering a nice mug of Earl Grey (hot).
However.
We just aren’t there yet, as much as I wish we were. It seems that daily, we see another story about ‘Smart’ devices recording, watching, listening in. Here’s a short list of Smart Things which have betrayed their users:
Printers
Teddy Bears
Sex Toys
Refrigerators
Baby Monitors
Some companies are starting to realize that consumers are becoming more aware of this problem. Mozilla has come out with a gift guide for the privacy minded to help consumers navigate their options.
F-Secure has developed a router designed to offer your Internet of Things protection against hacking, and you can easily find guides online to help you take the steps to up your IoT security.
In the end, it makes sense to take all the security steps you can. Assume that if it has a camera, a microphone, or is wi-fi enabled that someone, somewhere, can listen in.
