{"id":37085,"date":"2013-08-10T15:47:24","date_gmt":"2013-08-10T14:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=37085"},"modified":"2013-08-10T15:50:06","modified_gmt":"2013-08-10T14:50:06","slug":"internet-of-things-a-playground-for-bad-guysgals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/internet-of-things-a-playground-for-bad-guysgals\/","title":{"rendered":"Internet of \u201cThings\u201d a Playground for Bad Guys\/Gals"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re In Play\"Untitled-1\"<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/i>This crop stuff is just about a bunch of nerds who never had a girlfriend their whole lives. They’re like thirty now. It’s a scam. Nerds were doin’ it twenty five years ago and new nerds are doing it again.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2013 Morgan, \u201cSigns,\u201d<\/i> Touchstone, 2002<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

People love the Internet of Things.<\/span><\/p>\n

We must because we connect anything, everything \u2013 computer, tablet, phone, smart TV, door, thermostat, car, pacemaker, electric meter, bank, coffee shop, train, plane, you name it \u2026 it\u2019s connected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heck, we have more than twice the things connected than people on the planet and by 2020, we\u2019ll have more than 50B of them doing something.<\/span><\/p>\n

The industry is so great they\u2019ve put tremendous computer power at the edge.<\/span><\/p>\n

That never-outta-your sight smartphone has more power than my first computer– a GPS, tons of apps, cameras, probably 8GB of storage.<\/span><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s only getting better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or worse if you\u2019re brave enough to go to events like Black Hat and find out what hackers, whackers, cyberthieves, white\/black\/grey hat guys\/gals can do.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Merrill observed, \u201c<\/span>Everything has a weakness.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

No, we\u2019re not talking about what government surveillance crews like the NSA (National Security Agency) and other global security agencies are doing, that\u2019s old hat (sorry for the pun).<\/span><\/p>\n

At this year\u2019s Black Hat gathering, the NSA boss, <\/span>General Keith Alexander, was brave enough to stand up and give their version of the story.\"Untitled-2\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Batter Up – <\/span><\/i><\/b>Gen. Keith Alexander, head of NSA, gave a keynote at Black Hat that drew everyone\u2019s attention. Frankly, I would have worn a lot of protection, including the mask and cup. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Made me think of a little bunny rabbit surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves.<\/span><\/p>\n

He did O.K. in front of a less-than-friendly crowd, explaining their surveillance and monitoring activities.\"Untitled-3\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Packed Crowd \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>General Alexander\u2019s presentation at Black Hat was clearly one of the best attended sessions at this year\u2019s conference with very minor disruption. Of course, things like eggs, tomatoes and water balloons were checked at the door. The attendees were dubious but courteous as he outlined his agency\u2019s side of the story. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And as long as you didn\u2019t think too much about it, NBD.<\/span><\/p>\n

Compared to the rest of the event\u2019s sessions, a \u201clittle\u201d government surveillance almost seemed benign.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There were a lot of \u201choly crap\u201d sessions and tricks the researchers showed off (with glee) that would bother you and me; but the meat of the event was all of the DDoS (distributed denial of service) activity that is going on and things the really black black hats were doing to steal information (including yours) that could be turned into cash.<\/span><\/p>\n

With everyone \u2013 companies and individuals \u2013 jumping into the cloud, DDoS attacks have become a growing problem.\"Untitled-4\"<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hackable \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>Basically, if it\u2019s a device that is connected to the global Internet, a good \u2013 or bad \u2013hacker will find a key to get in. The most disruptive is the increased DDOS activity that is on the increase. Of course, harvesting personal data and tapping into bank funds also does an increasing amount of damage on a worldwide basis.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Automated tools have improved and botnets of computers can be rented and put in the hands of unscrupulous attackers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Merrill got mad and said, \u201cIt’s time for an ass-whupping.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of the security researchers talked and showed how they could take control of almost any system (internet-connected thingie) in minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

What we got out of it was, if someone says their system, service, network, cloud is secure, take it with a grain of salt because if \u201cthey\u201d want to get in they will because security tools and patches only handle the problems folks know about, not those that evildoers are working on right now!<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers at the event talked about issues post mortum or if the company they told about the problems didn\u2019t fix them.<\/span><\/p>\n

You know, \u201cOh we have outstanding security and place our customers\u2019 safety first, so there\u2019s no problem.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Jeezz, dude!<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Most of the folks at Black Hat probably would have received a Letter of Marque back in the middle ages.\"Untitled-5\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

License to Hunt \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>No company or government says they\u2019ve given hackers the same Letter of Marque that privateers received in the middle ages. Of course, none have said they haven\u2019t either; they just hire researchers to sniff for stuff.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

You know roam the Internet looking for issues, problems and \u201cneutralize\u201d<\/i><\/b> them.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing (and scary) what they can do with \u2013 and to – an ordinary smartphone.\"Untitled-6\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Most Vulnerable \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>Today\u2019s gotta\u2019 have smartphone just keeps getting better and better, more indispensible and a whole lot more vulnerable to attack. Few people have robust virus and security software like that available from Kaspersky, which has robust solutions for all platforms\/devices. But all security companies are always one step behind the bad guys and have a big job discovering all of the holes companies leave in their products as they rush to market.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Got your online banking on your phone?\u00a0 <\/span>BAM!<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Got your mobile billfold on your phone?\u00a0 <\/span>BAM! <\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Your SIM card that controls everything? BAM! <\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

For a few bucks, they can get a really cheap computer, some sensors, WiFi adapters and can use it to pickup\/track\/monitor any wireless traffic, including your calls to harvest your unique identifiers, account details, connection history, you name it.\u00a0 <\/span>BAM!<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Got a fentocell in the house to boost your reception and connect stuff to the outside world?\u00a0 <\/span>BAM! <\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, that ticked me off because we just had our service provider connect everything possible to move into the 22nd<\/sup> Century with a connected home.\"Untitled-7\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Connected Home \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>The images connected devices and service companies provide of your connected home are wonders to behold. You can monitor your kids\/pets, even when you\u2019re not home. You can lock doors, turn on lights, adjust the temperature and just about anything you want to do. Of course, it turns out that a halfway decent hacker can do the same thing like open doors, unlock windows\u2026just about anything if you have weak to non-existent security.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not as connected as we want to be; but it\u2019s a start.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hackers can \u201cmanipulate\u201d any of the new marvelous gadgets; i.e., the heat\/air conditioning, lights, door locks, iNet-connected toilets, refrigerators, stoves and yes, that new smart TV of yours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, that great online video enjoyment and two-way communications set can be used against you.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Even with the TV set turned off, a hacker can tap in and see what\u2019s going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Graham commented, \u201cSee this is why we’re not watching TV.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

When the Korean hacker was asked how to block the nosey or perverted person, his response was \u201cjust unplug.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Wait! Do you know how long it took me to set-up, program and tune everything?\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hey, there\u2019s always duct tape!<\/span><\/p>\n

The next big thing that technology wants to control is your car. O.K., a lot of it already is if it\u2019s of recent vintage.\"Untitled-8\"<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Computer on Wheels \u2013 <\/span><\/i><\/b>Today\u2019s computerized have over 100 microprocessors in them and the count keeps going up. They\u2019re all for your increased enjoyment and safety. They\u2019re all hackable as well.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve read that about 60 percent of the cost of today\u2019s auto is electronics so that\u2019s a lot of targets for a big hunk of metal that can hurdle down the road at 60+ mph!<\/span><\/p>\n

According to IHS Automotive, there are as many as 100 microprocessors, making them rolling computers.<\/p>\n

The security researchers showed how they could control brakes, speed, steering, you name it through your Bluetooth connection, GPS, streaming music or friendly OnStar service.<\/p>\n

The researchers tried to reassure us that car hacking was a pretty inefficient way to attack us, but I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ll get in one of Google\u2019s driverless cars any time soon.<\/p>\n

And if I see a driverless truck barreling up behind me \u2026 I\u2019m pulling way over!<\/p>\n

Merrill agreed and said, \u201cThe nerds were right.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Face it, anything can (will) be hacked given the right incentive or malicious nature.<\/p>\n

Manufacturers to do a better job of focusing on how they can build robust, really robust, security around all of those sexy bells and whistles they\u2019re adding.<\/p>\n

Of course, the security folks and manufacturers have a tough job. That\u2019s why every company you can think of was displaying\/advertising for good hackers and lurking through the halls at Black Hat.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve gotta\u2019 protect your computerized gimmick and make it delightfully simple for you to use.<\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t easy because I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019m not the sharpest pencil in the box.<\/p>\n

People just don\u2019t like all those security steps, so they design their own \u201cshortcuts\u201d which means they disable it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Morgan commented, \u201cThe book says they’re probably very good problem solvers. They’ll find a way in.\u201d\"Untitled-9\"<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

No wonder corporate security folks hate your nifty BYOD that perfectly blends your office\/home lives.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Heck, even the FBI has their own on-going internal intruder program!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also why the Black Hat researchers will never be out of a job and will always come up with cute hacks to brag about\/show off \u2026 next year.<\/p>\n

\"Untitled-10\"<\/a>As Merrill said, \u201cIt’s like War of the Worlds.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

# # #<\/p>\n

G.A. \u201cAndy\u201d Marken<\/h1>\n

President<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marken Communications, Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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