Connectivity, Communications & Cloud News - Page 18

Security systems connected to the Internet of things (IoT) could create an unexpected back door that puts owners at risk, according to a new security report from Hewlett-Packard. Specifically, brute-force attacks can be especially helpful in breaking through security, with manufacturers neglecting to use lockout procedures after failed repeated login attempts.

In addition, there were security vulnerabilities found in user interfaces on mobile, desktop and cloud platforms utilized by home owners. HP didn't disclose which vendors it used in its IoT security system study, but this appears to be a major problem that must be addressed.

"The results were pretty startling," said Daniel Miessler, practice principal at HP Fortify, in a statement to eWeek. "The big finding was that 10 out of 10 systems could be brute-forced to extract usernames and passwords via the Internet."

There are plenty of opportunities for consumers and companies embracing the Internet of Things (IoT), but trying to secure connected things will be extremely difficult. Vendors must embrace continuous testing programs to verify their services are secure - and consumers will need to utilize available security protocols, while pushing for new securities in the future.

Regardless of potential privacy and security concerns, expect to see a number of new connected things in the coming years - with everything from smart energy meters to security, lighting and air conditioning expected to be connected. There will be over 28 billion things installed in households and apartments by 2020, according to IDC.

"IoT is a very fast moving space, and the pressure on companies to get new things to market almost invariably comes at the expense of proper security practices," said Casey Ellix, CEO of Bugcrowd cybersecurity firm, in a statement published by Forbes. "On top of this, many of the devices are built on top of open source libraries and components, which themselves have vulnerabilities which are discovered on a regular basis."

In a order to easily organize and store photos in your account, Microsoft has added an Albums feature for their OneDrive service - claimed by some as a move to compete with popular competitors including Dropbox and Google's storage options.

Released this Wednesday through a company blog post, this addition will feature capabilities mirroring Dropbox's Carousel photo gallery app and Google Drive's built-in albums feature. Available through the iOS app now, the company has stated they will add Android and Windows phone support "soon".

It's also claimed that next month will see an addition of automatic photo import features for Windows 7 and 8 users, as already seen with Android, iOS and Windows Phone versions as of last July. This new feature will see a camera imports folder added, becoming the location for all automatic imports from both PC's and mobile devices - changing it from the current "All photo's" folder.

The Internet of Things (IoT) captured a lot of headlines during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this month, and security will remain a major issue for early adopters. The idea that connected household items can access the Internet provides great opportunity for enhanced services - but provides cybercriminals an access point to compromise new products.

Cybersecurity companies are aware of the great potential of IoT and connected devices, but understand they must scramble to defend an entirely new ecosystem that seems poised to boom.

"If people are worried about Facebook and Google storing your data today, wait until you see what is coming with IoT in next 2-5 years," said Ed Montgomery, Marketing Manager at F-Secure, via Tweet.

The Internet of Things (IoT) may yield great potential to simplify lives, but there is growing concern that these connected devices could eventually begin to take over our lives. The use of artificial intelligence to help simply - and enhance - new products opens the door to human-like capabilities, but that has increased concern.

"When we're not being tracked, we're more free to experiment, to be our authentic selves, to read new things, to be different kinds of people," said Neil Richards, law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, in a statement published by the San Jose Mercury News. However, connected monitoring opens the door to "menaces our society's foundational commitments to intellectual diversity and eccentric individuality."

IoT-based technologies will continue to increase in popularity, as companies expand research and development efforts - but there are numerous concerns that must also be addressed.

There seems to be no question that the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to be a major business, as more smart products enter the household. However, without industry cooperation from software designers and hardware makers, it could end up being a massive headache for everyone involved.

The number of IoT-related announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this month should indicate where the market is quickly moving. If companies don't begin to work together on new standards, such as an open platform that is evenly distributed is necessary, then things may just become a nightmare.

"Companies may not care as much about overarching standards so long as the application will meet the needs they have today," said Andy Peebler, managing director of ecommerce and digital marketing at Acquity Group, in a statement to NBC News.

Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi took the phone market by storm, and hopes to transition that success into connected technology. Xiaomi has introduced a "smart module" that its hardware partners can integrate into products sold to consumers.

The module will cost just $3.60 and can be installed in refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and other home products, according to Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. There is tremendous potential in smart technologies, and Xiaomi wants to ensure products are created in an effective manner to appease partners and consumers.

The Internet of Things (IoT) had a prominent presence during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week, and smartphone makers have taken notice. Ideally, Xiaomi and other companies want users to be able to control connected technology via their smartphones.

Connected products powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) took over the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, and that momentum will only continue, industry analysts predict.

IoT product providers will need to ensure services and connectivity to power these "things" are secure, with proper bandwidth to ensure they function normally. Looking ahead, IoT growth is expected to create upswings in Internet traffic and IP address consumption, according to Akamai Technologies.

However, it's now up to manufacturers and supporters to show why connected technology can impact the lives of consumers on a daily basis - and offer products that aren't overly difficult to use.

CES 2015 - Diamond Multimedia is well known for their line of AMD GPUs, but recently they have started to focus more on peripherals of all sorts from 4K streaming devices to Wireless AC peripherals. To start off they are launching a powerful router, the WLR1200AC, which features dual-band (5GHz/2.4GHz) wireless 802.11AC.

Here we have the WR750AC Dual Band Range Extender and WL600AC USB network adapter, which both support the new 802.11AC wireless standard. They also support dual band 5GHz/2.4GHz. The USB adapter comes in two versions, one with the antenna and one without.

On the left we have the BVU5500 USB 3.0 4K display adapter which is a simple device that will allow you to stream to a 4K monitor from your laptop. Then on the right we have the WPCTV3000 4K video streaming device, which utilizes the latest wireless display technologies to wirelessly stream content to a 4K display. It also allows for multiple users to connect to it, which makes it great for wireless presentations where more than one user needs to display content.

CES 2015 - BlackBerry launched its Internet of Things (IoT) platform, with an early focus on the automotive and asset tracking verticals. Using its IoT technology, users will be able to build their services on top of the IoT Platform's efficient and scalable messaging system.

"The BlackBerry IoT platform blends the technologies that have enabled BlackBerry to become a leader in both the mobile data security and embedded systems industries," said Matt Hoffman, VP of strategy and marketing of BlackBerry.

This could be a clever play by BlackBerry, as consumers and companies are showing increased interest in IoT. BlackBerry pairing its QNX Software Systems with its well-respected secure network will allow it to utilize two strengths at a time when its efforts to reclaim glory in the smartphone market has largely fallen flat.