Internet of Things Applications

The “Internet of things” has been a Silicon Valley buzzword for the last few years, so it’s ironic that we seem to read almost as much tech news coverage about Internet of things hacking. In recent months, for example, VentureBeat has reported that the FBI is warning car makers and owners about vehicle hacking risks, and that IoT devices may be exploited as Trojan horses. And just a few days ago, we heard about a glitch at smart doorbell company Ring that exposed videos of users’ homes to other users.

Many of us in tech, long aware of hackers and malicious software, often assume that these are just the growing pains of a new platform. But for the average consumer, these are utterly terrifying threats, not just to their devices and personal data, but to their own physical safety and the safety of their loved ones. And as more examples of compromised devices accumulate — and new devices like Google’s just-announced Home increase the potential for vulnerabilities — the industry as a whole is being placed in jeopardy.

How did we get here? To fully grasp the problem, we need to understand at a basic level why so many IoT hacks are happening — and what we in tech must do now, to address them.

See more at: venturebeat.com