Recently Wiikileaks came out with what one commentator described as “The Swiss army knife of hacking” guide to all things internet. It has a lot of big companies like Apple, Microsoft, & Samsung scrambling to find and fix software vulnerabilities. This is why updating your devices is important. Many of the vulnerabilities have already been patched, so if you are doing your updates you are helping yourself stay safe. Keep up the good work!
But what does this information mean to you personally? Well, the good news is that all of these issues affect one device and one person at a time. There is no massive data funneling from our homes, phones or baby monitors to a central repository where what you say is available for review at any time in the future.
In other words, I can hack your baby monitor, and I can hack nearly any baby monitor, but I can’t ask ALL baby monitors to send me their information in one mass data dump.
So this information, while concerning for sure, still comes down to what every hacking equation comes down to, are YOU specifically, worth the effort. Is the information in your baby monitor worth my effort to get to it? For most of you reading this, likely not.
With “the internet of things” come the security vulnerabilities related to these items. {The internet of things includes devices that are now internet enabled like baby monitors, TVs, irrigation, refrigerators and the like.) You really only have two choices, opt out of technology completely or don’t discuss your bank robbery plans while you are “on the grid” in any way. Maybe you can rent a cabin in the woods for that planning. Just a thought.
Privacy is definitely a new concern for many and I don’t think it is going away but will likely get worse.