Security concerns as technology takes over
Wearable computing. Internet of things. Phrases that connote a future in which computing and connectivity will be in our appliances, our vehicles, our clothing and even our bodies.
But the flip side is that all these things also will be the targets of hackers. It is already happening, and most experts acknowledge that security professionals are playing catch-up with the hackers.
A recent segment of “60 Minutes” showed a car that had been remotely hacked to control functions ranging from the windshield washer to the brakes. The point was not that hackers are doing it, but that it could be done.
Recently the FBI questioned a computer security expert who the agency claims hacked into a plane through the in-flight entertainment system and made the plane briefly change direction by telling one of the engines to go into climb mode, according to USA Today.
But most startling was an article
in a medical journal in which a doctor claimed that security was too lax on an “artificial pancreas” now being tested.
For type 1 diabetics, an artificial pancreas could mean finding a way to live without daily blood sugar monitoring. Some researchers are concerned these new pumps could leave patients open to hackers who could tamper with insulin levels sent from a glucose monitor to the insulin pump.
The article expressed concern that the information being sent to the insulin dispensing unit was not encrypted.
So what, other than possible plot lines for “CSI Cyber,” is the point here?
As computerized connected devices burrow their way deeper and deeper into our everyday lives, security must be a primary concern — not just an add-on as it often is now — despite the inconvenience.
How thin can you go? South Korean flat panel maker LG Display Co. recently showed a 55-inch detachable organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display that sticks to the wall.
The screen is 0.97 mm thick, weighs 1.9 kg and can be stuck to a wall with a magnetic mat, or removed from it, reported KoreaTimesUS.com.
LG Display also showcased a convex OLED panel that is mainly used for digital signage for large-scale outdoor advertising.
The advanced display helps make a TV much slimmer and lighter since it emits light itself based on the electric current without a backlight unit, unlike the liquid crystal display (LCD).
Blimey, those crafty thieves: Police in England have shared a criminal trick of using iPods to steal card details at ATMs.
Police were alerted when they discovered an iPod Nano on an ATM.
The scheme involves strapping the iPod above the ATM keyboard to record video of a person inputting their PIN, according to the Daily Mail. The iPod is concealed in a specially designed metallic wrapper.
Smarter than Hawking? Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking thinks computers are likely to surpass humans in intelligence within the next century, he said during a conference in London.
TechWorld quoted Mr. Hawking as saying, “Computers will overtake humans with AI at some point within the next 100 years. When that happens, we need to make sure the computers have goals aligned with ours.”