Monday, July 07, 2025, 11:53PM | 
MENU
Advertisement

Ced Kurtz's Techman Texts: Protecting the security of household devices in the Internet of Things

Ced Kurtz's Techman Texts: Protecting the security of household devices in the Internet of Things

Many years ago, Woody Allen did a standup bit about how his household appliances were conspiring against him. His paranoia may be coming true.

The recent hack that brought down many big internet sites was launched using the Internet of Things, which is Web-connected appliances such as DVRs, video cameras and thermostats. Those devices were woven into huge botnets that flooded a company vital to the internet with data and disabled it.

When the core internet company, Dyn, went down, so did many websites, including Twitter, Amazon, Tumblr, Reddit, Spotify and Netflix. TechMan noticed it when he could not reach pnc.com

Advertisement

So why use these common devices in the attack? First, there are a lot of them. Most were built with low or no security and many had a common default password that users did not change.

That was the case with the devices used in the attack. The Chinese company XiongMai Technologies made many of the components that are sold to vendors who use them in their own products, according to KrebsOnSecurity.com.

But it is not as though we didn’t know this was coming. Security companies have been constantly hacking IOT devices — cars, the Internet-connected Hello Barbie, a pacemaker, baby monitors, a “smart fridge” and a sniper rifle among others — to show their vulnerabilities.

The onus to protect us from this lies mostly on the manufacturers and government regulators. But there are some things you can do, according to Recode.net:

Advertisement

— Change the factory-given password on your router and your router’s network ID name from the default. 

— Don’t buy internet-connected devices that don’t allow you to password-protect the connection.

— And as soon as you install a new device, change the factory-set password.

— Make sure the software and firmware of your devices are up-to-date.

One for the good guys. TechMan has complained that not enough is being done to fight Internet fraudsters and scammers. But some good news. Authorities arrested dozens in the United States and is seeking extradition of individuals from India where an IRS scam was devised. The scheme involved robocalls to people saying the IRS was suing them and urging them to settle.

Another for the good guys. A 36-year-old hacker from Lancaster, Pa., who stole nude photos of female celebrities in 2014 that ended up on the internet, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, officials announced last week. More than 100 personal photos were taken from celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson.

Sad. The chief executive of Robin Labs, an Israeli firm that created a virtual assistant for giving drivers traffic advice and directions told the International Business Times his firm noticed that a large proportion of conversations with its virtual assistant seemed to be sexually explicit. Microsoft has observed users of the Cortana virtual assistant behaving in a similar way, so in 2015 it built in new responses to shut down questions about her sex life. Mr. Eckstein said he thinks the digital dirty talkers are teenagers pushing the limits or lonely men.

Send comments, contributions, corrections and condemnations to pgtechtexts@gmail.com.

First Published: November 1, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at PNC Park on June 27, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1
sports
Paul Zeise: Time to blow it up (again) — Pirates should commit to another full rebuild at this upcoming trade deadline
Pirates team owner Bob Nutting talks with general manager Ben Cherington during spring training Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.
2
sports
Jason Mackey: How misplaced loyalty and a lack of true urgency have put the Pirates in a lousy spot
Pedestrians brace from the rain as they cross 9th Street Downtown on Monday, July 7. 2025.
3
news
Storms could bring heavy rain, flooding to Pittsburgh region this week
Bethel Park at sunrise earlier this year. The community, where Thomas Crooks grew up, was as surprised as the rest of the country when one of its own was involved an attempt to shoot a presidential candidate.
4
news
In Bethel Park, hometown of Trump’s would-be assassin, resilience and disbelief linger
The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh on July 7 announced that Dr. Johanna Vidal-Phelan is its new president and CEO.
5
news
The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh names its new leader
Advertisement
LATEST business
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story