Mat Dirjish and Nick Ashworth
In the first installment of this look at the security risks associated with the emerging data wave dubbed the Internet of Things (IoT), we spoke with Captain Brent Chapman of the US Army. Of the numerous attack-and-hack trends emerging over the years, he singled out two practices of particular interest.
First, the easy access to powerful, yet inexpensive computers and free software has caused an increase in “hactivism”, characterized by the misuse of computer systems to further a social or political cause. The second trend is hackers abusing weaknesses in non-traditional network-connected products. Using commandeered baby monitors for example, criminals have verbally abused children, sent ransom messages to parents and even used the camera as a reconnaissance tool before burgling the residence.
This time around, I pose the same questions to Nick Ashworth who is the Engineering & Technology Director with Eaton’s Energy Automation Solutions business and the Treasurer for IPSO Alliance. He has over 20 years of experience developing connected products for home automation and smart grid applications.