Why the security of IoT is lacking, and what is being done about it

In my tech briefing, I will focus on the security of the internet of things (IoT) and why companies do not go to any great lengths to make secure devices. The biggest reason isn’t necessarily that companies don’t think of securing these devices, but that it is a secondary concern. Because the adoption of these ‘smart’ devices is so rapid, companies are moving fast to push out products without the same rigorous security testing that is conducted on more mature products like smartphones or servers.

AT&T’s Cybersecurity Insights Report surveyed more than 5,000 companies worldwide, 85% of which were in the process of deploying IoT devices, and only 10% of those surveyed felt confident that they could secure them. Many of these companies are much smaller and do not even have security professionals on their payroll, instead using third-party electronics that may or may not have been tested for security.

Devices considered in the IoT range from washers and dryers to thermostats. Recently the most popular devices are those like Amazon's Alexa-powered Echo in-home speaker. Devices like these are extremely attractive, making virtually everything just one voice command away. It is also devices like these that can be the most vulnerable.

Amazon has around 250 devices that are certified to work with Alexa, and Amazon has encouraged a rapid development of these devices. All companies need to do to get this certification is write code and submit it to Amazon for review. Although they do require physical testing, they allow that testing to happen at third-party locations. Once Amazon reviews the code and the products are physically tested, they give a decision on giving it the "Works with Alexa" stamp of approval within 10 days. Even though devices can go through the process to get this stamp of approval, they do not need to to be able to be used with Alexa; it is more of a certification that helps market their product.

One of Amazon's competitors in this market, Apple, only has around 100 devices that can be used with its HomeKit. In order to be certified for use with HomeKit, devices need to use a special HomeKit chip, and specific WiFi and Bluetooth chips. Their method can be substantially more expensive, can take 3-5 months, and device makers are not allowed to publicly announce they are seeking HomeKit certification. These restrictions tend to be off-putting to developers, however those that do endure the process believe it is well worth it. CEO of Nanoleaf (a smart lighting system), Gimmy Chu, said, "they found issues with our product before we released it that we didn't find in our testing. We know that after we have the certification that it's rock solid."

Amazon acknowledges that unlike Apple, it can't guarantee the security of third-party devices. This strongly backs the aforementioned reason for lack of security being to simply get devices on the market, even if it means security taking a back seat. The good news is now that it is a very well-known issue that many devices are not secure, larger companies like Belkin are starting to respond to and patch these issues. This won't be something that can be fixed overnight, and going forward, hopefully companies will start to put security before profit.

Sources:

Defining the IoT Security

Why IoT Security is So Critical (TechCrunch)

The IoT Threat to Privacy (TechCrunch)

How the Internet of Things will affect security & privacy

Apple strategy in 'smart home' race threatened by Amazon

Apple and Amazon Adopt Opposing Strategies as Smart Home War Heats Up

Five Ways Cybersecurity Will Suffer If Congress Repeals the FCC Privacy Rules

As I mentioned in class, taking action against the repeal of the FCC's "Broadband Privacy" ruling from last October 2016 will have severe consequences for our privacy and cyber security. According the EFF's summary, last Thursday, Republicans in the Senate voted to repeal those rules. If the House of Representatives votes the same way and the rules are repealed, it’s pretty obvious that the results for American’s privacy will be disastrous.

But what many people don’t realize is that Americans’ cybersecurity is also at risk. That’s because privacy and security are two sides of the same coin: privacy is about controlling who has access to information about you, and security is how you maintain that control. You usually can’t break one without breaking the other, and that’s especially true in this context. To show how, here are five ways repealing the FCC’s privacy rules will weaken Americans’ cybersecurity.  

Read the article for more details on each of these five ways, including technical and easy to understand examples of how it works.

Risk #1: Snooping On Traffic (And Creating New Targets for Hackers)

Risk #2: Erasing Encryption (And Making it Easier for Hackers to Spy On You)

Risk #3: Inserting Ads Into Your Browsing (And Opening Holes In Your Browsing Security)

Risk #4: Zombie Supercookies (Allowing Hackers to Track You Wherever You Go)

Risk #5: Spyware (Which Opens the Door for Malware)

In the end, the cybersecurity implications of repealing the FCC’s privacy rules come from simple logic. If the privacy rules are repealed, Internet providers will resume and accelerate these dangerous practices with the aim of monetizing their customers’ browsing history and app usage. But in order to do that, Internet providers will need to record and store even more sensitive data on their customers, which will become a target for hackers. Internet providers will also be incentivized to break their customers’ security, so they can see all the valuable encrypted data their customers send. And when Internet providers break their customers’ security, you can be sure malicious hackers will be right on their heels.  

The net result is simple: repealing the FCC’s privacy rules won’t just be a disaster for Americans’ privacy. It will be a disaster for America’s cybersecurity, too.

You can still call your representative!

Share other articles or offer your point of view. This isn't just an EFF issue. You could argue that Google, Amazon, and Facebook do the same thing, but the difference with ISPs (like Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Cox, etc.), is that you don't have a choice about which ISP or cable company you use, and they have vast amounts of customer data that they can use however they want. The risks are disastrous. It wasn't clear what choices we have, either.

Environmental Issues - Tech Briefing

Hi Everyone! My name is Emma and I wanted teach you all about some amazing products that exist that are combining technology with our environment in the hopes of helping our environment and using energy in a smarter way.

Tesla's Powerwall 2

• Rechargeable lithium ion-battery
• Home energy storage

"With double the energy of our first generation battery, Powerwall 2 can power an average two-bedroom home for a full day. Compact, stackable and with a built-in inverter, installation is simple, either indoor or outdoor."

Cost: $5,500

Deeproot - Silva Cell

"The Silva Cell is a modular suspended pavement system that uses soil volumes to support large tree growth and provide powerful on-site stormwater management through absorption, evapotranspiration, and interception."

Nebia

• 70% less water used
• Showers are one of the highest wasters of water
• Increasing the surface area of water

Normal shower = 20 gallons

Nebia shower = 6 gallons

(9 minutes)

Cost: $400

SolaRoad

• Road that converts sunlight into energy

"On the 29 of March 2016, the Californian highways agency, Caltrans and the province of North Holland, signed a declaration of intent to look at sustainable options for capturing solar energy in transportation infrastructure. The proposed location is in Lebec, Kern County."

Houses Built from Plastic Bottles

• Response to the Nigerian housing crisis
• Traditional building techniques adapted to using new material
• Houses will be almost carbon neutral

LifeStraw

"Vestergaard designed a cloth filter but then evolved it into a more effective pipe form in 1999. Today, more than 37 million LifeStraw Guinea Worm filters have contributed to the near-eradication of the disease."

Uncharted Play

• Company created an energy harnessing soccer ball and jump rope

The Seabin Project

"The Seabin isn’t big or bulky and can fit into the problem corners of marinas without being obtrusive or taking up dock space for boats. The waste in the Seabin is collected easily and disposed of responsibly in the already establish waste disposal system of the marina."

Tech Talk: The Environmental Impact of Data Centers

For my tech talk, I wanted to explore the impacts that data centers are having as our technology use increases so therefore the number of and power of data centers that support them are growing. An issue that isn't currently recognized or addressed enough is the growing environmental impact these data centers are having. Data centers require a significant amount of electricity and water since they must run around the clock and this is only a part of what causes them to be wasteful.

Some of the biggest environmental issues that data centers face include energy use, land coverage, and cooling systems. The world's data centers use about 30 billion watts of electricity on average and waste about 90% of the energy they take in due to running the servers on maximum capacity all day. The large size of some data centers means that they could sit on hundreds of acres of land. The liquid and solid waste produced by these facilities is substantial. Cooling systems are also extremely important to data centers as the servers they contain get extremely hot and must remain cooled to work properly. Many data centers are still cooled with energy produced via fossil fuels, and with the large amount of space that needs to be cooled around the clock, this pollution can add up quickly. Other environmental impacts could include batteries, cleaning material, diesel fuel, electronic waste, packaging, and office areas. These are all a part of regular data center operations and the environmental impact of them should be thought about to try and reduce.

The tech industry boom has greatly helped to grow data centers and the problems that they cause. One article describes that "the foundation of the information industry is sharply at odds with its image of sleek efficiency and environmental friendliness." Companies that consumers may consider to be ethical and socially responsible were not necessarily any "cleaner" in how they run their data centers.  However, major companies are making an effort to combat this image. For example, Google has 13 data center locations and 34% of them now operate on renewable energy with over $1 Billion being invested in it. Facebook with 5 total data centers is building new data centers running on only wind energy and their older centers have switched to hydroelectric power. Microsoft is now recycling 99% of the waste produced by its European data centers and efficient, non-polluting water cooling systems are used.

The environmental issues surrounding data centers haven't got much attention in the past partially because it is not something "interesting" to the public. The impact data centers have are typically removed from day to day life so people don't really think about the environmental effects of streaming a video or using an app. However, these problems are not going to go away as cloud computing is a huge trend and the amount of data being created is continually growing. Because of this it is important to think about ways to create more efficient and environmentally friendly data centers going forward.

Check out the following resources for more information on these issues as well as specific issues some companies have been having:

https://datafloq.com/read/big-data-centers-impact-environment-infographic/282

https://www.greenhousedata.com/blog/data-center-environmental-impact-goes-beyond-emissions

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/there-are-no-clean-clouds/420744/

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/technology/data-centers-in-rural-washington-state-gobble-power.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/technology/data-centers-waste-vast-amounts-of-energy-belying-industry-image.html

Behavior Change Technology -- Tech Talk

Hi everyone,

This is Kelsey and I will be covering Behavior Change Technology in my tech talk.

Behavior Change Technology
Behavior Change Technology is an intricate software and application design process that focuses on a very simple idea: help people change their habits. There are several ways that a person's behavior can be changed through habit-changing technology. Physiological addictions, like smoking, can be curbed by apps that reward good behavior. Behaviors learned over time, like time management, can be aided or improved on through repetitive apps and virtual to-do lists. Even biomechanical systems, like twitches or motor-function habits, can be altered with common exposure to certain technological activities.

Behavior Design
A graduate program at Stanford focuses on behavior design--understanding the step-by-step processes that humans follow to make decisions and finding ways to "map" those steps in technological developments. This is an iterative process, in which test subjects follow the instructions and guidance of apps and software and their results are tracked. Adjustments to the programs are made until test subjects respond positively at a frequent enough rate. At the bottom of this post is a link to a video in which a Stanford professor explains how behavior design is also relevant from an business standpoint rather than a consumer standpoint.

Behavior and Reward
These programs are built on the concept of positive reinforcement. Rewards that come from behavior change technology must be intrinsic and create a sense of achievement or invoke an emotion. Simply offering a tangible reward that is the same every time ultimately will cause the user's habits to revert to their original state, as identical rewards lose value over time. One of the biggest questions in terms of future behavior design is how to designate and deliver rewards that are sustainable over the long term.

Resources
Compared to the resources available to students and researchers today, my tech talk barely scratches the surface of behavior change technology and how dynamically the field is growing today. Below are the articles I reference in my presentation, which offer a great starting point to understanding the field.

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/behavioural-insights/true-potential-technology-change-behaviour
http://www.maxogles.com/behavior-change-challenges/
http://captology.stanford.edu/projects/behaviordesign.html
https://www.fastcompany.com/3033986/the-future-of-work/can-technology-really-change-your-habits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlEYLEV0_OA

Python Tech Talk

Hi Class, this is Hyunhee who had the Python tech briefing today, and I want to share the summary of the presentation, and provide the further information about the resources.

What is Python?

Python is the programming language which is relatively easy to learn and read compared to the other programming languages. Python does not require a high level of programming skill, and it is an open source which can creates the new trends with the users. Also, it offers large libraries which help the users to implement the program easily. For these reasons, the Python is often recommended as the first programming language to learn for the beginners. 

What you can do with Python?

Python is broadly used for the web development, simple scripting, the data analysis and many more. There are many excellent Python web frameworks that you can use to create the web application. Many data scientists use the Python, and it is getting popular due to its excellent libraries with data visualization.

Why Python is relatively easy to learn?

1. Dynamically Typed
There is no need to declare the variables and casting.

2.Simple Syntax
In order to use other programming languages, the users have to know   the syntax with parentheses, brackets, braces, commas and colons. However, the Python has less syntax needed, so it reduces the time for debugging.

3. English-like commands
Syntax is simpler and easier to read than other language.

4. Intuitive Data Structure
Python has simple and flexible data tools like Lists, Tuples, Sets, Dictionaries that the user can use with mixed data type.

Resources to learn Python and other programming languages

Book: Head First Python by Paul Barry

Online resources:

www.learnpython.org

www.khanacademy.org

www.hackerrank.com

Tableau Tech Talk

Hi Class,

I wanted to provide a bit more information and resources about Tableau from my presentation before break. Ideally, I would have liked to provide a mini-lesson with the purpose of learning basic skills in Tableau, but I hope this blog posts provides a better understanding of what Tableau is and how it is used.

What is Tableau? 

Tableau is a very powerful software used as an analytical tool to identify trends patterns etc. Tableau takes data visualization to a new level by communicating large amounts of data in an aesthetically pleasing format. 

Why is Tableau Important Anyways?

Tableau is being used more and more by companies for reporting and analysis as it can handle large amounts of data while still maintaining a user-friendly format. 

In addition, Tableau offers features such as Tableau Online and Tableau Server which allow users to upload their content to the Cloud allowing for access to reports mobile devices. 

How Does Tableau Work?   

Tableau connects to a data source or a data extract. An example of a data source would be something like Salesforce, Azure, or even R.  A data extract would be something like an Excel spreadsheet.  

Once the data is connected to the data, sometimes the data will need to be cleaned or organized. Larger firms that have successfully integrated Tableau often have pretty clean data which require little to no cleaning.  However, it's a much different story for smaller companies or firms that have just started using Tableau. 

What do I do with the data?

Once you've connected and cleaned your data, it's pretty easy to get started creating content. I often compare Tableau to PivotTables on steroids because Tableau has the functionality of PivotTables, but it is much more powerful and you can use it for very large amounts of data. The image below shows the starting interface you see when you begin a workbook. 

Like anything, it requires practice and constant use of Tableau in order to build complex dashboards and visuals that are both informative and aesthetically pleasing. 

I've linked a few great resources below that include a free-trial, and an introductory video that walks through a basic how to on Tableau as well as a viz gallery with examples of how Tableau is used and how complex dashboards can get. 

Free Trial @ https://www.tableau.com/products/trial-link-old

Video & Data Download (You may have to enter a few details such as name etc. to access video, but once you do navigate to the bottom of the page and click the Download link under Data Sets)

Viz Gallery - A library of top-notch data visualizations