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The field of cyber crime has been around a very long time, even though it has just lately taken a new twist and could very well take up residence in your home. The CE industry is reported by various industry analysts to top approximately $185 Billion in 2011. This translates to billions of units shipped with some form of little computer embedded in the product. In addition, these little computers systems, known as embedded systems, are increasingly network enabled. That's to say, these devices have the capability to communicate wired or wirelessly thru the Internet, and frequently without human interaction. At first, many devices were network enabled to facilitate a user-friendly method for device configuration. A small embedded web server presents web pages to your browser to permit you to quickly set-up and manage the product. This networking model is pervasive through-out the home and is found in everything from HDTV sets, network disk drives, printers, refrigerators, hi-fi amplifiers, lighting, network routers and switches and a lot more.
Hi-tech marketing, device updates and cyber crime
It did not take long for big corporate marketing departments to recognise the important value in a direct connection to their customers.
Your printer is running out of ink, it'll trigger and email to be sent to your inbox offering the most recent special on replacement cartridges. Together with the coupon, the update service recognizes your printer's firmware could be updated. The firmware update includes a revised ink management routine to help your new cartridges last longer.
It is reasonably easy to see the benefits. This kind of interaction with an end-user product was unheard of several years ago. However , it is very common and builds tremendous brand loyalty with the buyer. Net result, a network enabled product offers incredible opportunity for a company to more clearly comprehend their clients and to offer products and solutions for their wants and needs.
Unfortunately, as firms began deploying this kind of technology, little concern was given to embedded device security. Originally intended to improve the customer experience, a firmware update has the potential to hide a software "Trojan Horse". While the security market for PCs has flourished the door has been left wide open for malice intent with embedded computing. It does not take long to find many examples of security breaches in the embedded industry. Printers can be "updated" to become agents in your home or organisation consistently sniffing the network for valuable information. Traffic signs can be hacked to display random messages. Gaming devices and networks can be coaxed into revealing usernames, passwords and credit card numbers. In home or hospital based medical devices can be hijacked to send medical info, including names and social security numbers to remote servers. The list goes on and on.
Cyber crime in your home
Can your home be a target for cyber crime attacks from embedded systems? If your house is network enabled (wired, wireless or both) and you have modern consumer products (laptop PC, desktop, printers, HDTV, receivers, set-top box, for example.), it is very possible. Now, there are no consumer security products on the market to help thwart this kind of risk. For now, device security is left to the individual person. While most everybody is focused on security for Computer applications, there's little attention to device security in consumer products used by millions of people each day.
Hi-tech marketing, device updates and cyber crime
It did not take long for big corporate marketing departments to recognise the important value in a direct connection to their customers.
Your printer is running out of ink, it'll trigger and email to be sent to your inbox offering the most recent special on replacement cartridges. Together with the coupon, the update service recognizes your printer's firmware could be updated. The firmware update includes a revised ink management routine to help your new cartridges last longer.
It is reasonably easy to see the benefits. This kind of interaction with an end-user product was unheard of several years ago. However , it is very common and builds tremendous brand loyalty with the buyer. Net result, a network enabled product offers incredible opportunity for a company to more clearly comprehend their clients and to offer products and solutions for their wants and needs.
Unfortunately, as firms began deploying this kind of technology, little concern was given to embedded device security. Originally intended to improve the customer experience, a firmware update has the potential to hide a software "Trojan Horse". While the security market for PCs has flourished the door has been left wide open for malice intent with embedded computing. It does not take long to find many examples of security breaches in the embedded industry. Printers can be "updated" to become agents in your home or organisation consistently sniffing the network for valuable information. Traffic signs can be hacked to display random messages. Gaming devices and networks can be coaxed into revealing usernames, passwords and credit card numbers. In home or hospital based medical devices can be hijacked to send medical info, including names and social security numbers to remote servers. The list goes on and on.
Cyber crime in your home
Can your home be a target for cyber crime attacks from embedded systems? If your house is network enabled (wired, wireless or both) and you have modern consumer products (laptop PC, desktop, printers, HDTV, receivers, set-top box, for example.), it is very possible. Now, there are no consumer security products on the market to help thwart this kind of risk. For now, device security is left to the individual person. While most everybody is focused on security for Computer applications, there's little attention to device security in consumer products used by millions of people each day.
About the Author:
Loren Shade has over 25 years experience in the embedded industry, and has worked with several industrial, military and commercial customers to adopt standards based communications into their embedded products. Mr. Shade is VP Marketing at Allegro Software Development Corporation, developers of Internet Software for Embedded Devices. Allegro's
RomPager is the most commonly used embedded Web server toolkit in the marketplace. Allegro is also a leader in the supply of UPnP and DLNA technologies, embedded M2M technology, and embedded device security products.
RomPager is the most commonly used embedded Web server toolkit in the marketplace. Allegro is also a leader in the supply of UPnP and DLNA technologies, embedded M2M technology, and embedded device security products.
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