Tell me again why light bulbs, refrigerators, and thermostats need to internet-connected? Especially since security appears to be mostly non-existent on “smart home” devices. Is turning a light on or off so arduous that it needs to be done from a smart phone rather than manually? As an example (there are many others) a GE wifi LED has been hacked, providing access to the home network. Astonishingly, the mesh network controlling the lights was not encrypted. The vendor quickly added encryption but really, it should have been there all along. The Internet of Things, with its billions of connected devices is coming. Right now, IOT security is mostly being ignored as everyone wets themselves in excitement about being able to adjust a home thermostat when away from the house.
“It is clear that in the dash to get onto the [internet of things] bandwagon, security is not being prioritized as highly as it should be in many connected devices,” said Jordon. “IOT security needs to be taken seriously, particularly before businesses start to connect mission-critical devices and systems.”