What Mikko Hypponen teaches us about IoT security

by Ben Dickson

Yes, this is going to be another rant about the state of insecurity in the Internet of Things industry. But a good one.

Every once in awhile, I hear someone explain this most critical issue, which has been at the heart of so many security incidents in the past year, in a new, inspiring way. And I feel compelled to unpack and explain it for those who might have missed the important parts.

I had one of those moments of epiphany in this year’s TNW Conference, when Mikko Hypponen, the acclaimed cybersecurity expert from Finnish vendor F-Secure, delivered a speech titled “The Internet of Insecure Things.”

In the speech, Hypponen brushed upon some very interesting topics, including ransomware and IoT security. But there’s only so much you can pack into a 20-minute speech. Here are the key takeaways about IoT security. Continue reading →

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Do I really need a smart firewall in my home?

by Contributor

By T Roy, IoT Defense Inc.

One of the most common questions we get from potential customers, at least from the more technically minded ones is – I don’t have any open ports on my home router, do I still need the protection offered by a smart firewall? This question is based on the assumption that if a home Wi-Fi router does not have any open ports, no unsolicited traffic from the internet can access the router and hence it cannot be compromised by malicious actors on the internet.

In this article, we will describe some of the functionality provided by home routers, understand the security implications of such functionality, provide some context around the above assumption and arrive at some interesting conclusions. Continue reading →

What’s the difference between VR, AR and MR?

by Ben Dickson

 

Are we living in a simulation? This laughed-at notion is becoming increasingly acceptable as technological advances are blurring the boundaries between reality and illusion. There is now not one but three different flavors of synthetic reality: Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR).

But there’s a lot of confusion about what each version of reality is. This is something that is akin to evolving technologies. For instance, after decades, there’s still debate over what is artificial intelligence (AI). Continue reading →

The business case for customer service chatbots

by Contributor

By Tobias Goebel, Aspect Software

Chatbots can provide real value to companies when properly conceived and have a tremendous amount of potential to support a business’ customer service efforts. How? Let’s look at the facts: Continue reading →

How artificial intelligence optimizes the use of customer data

by Ben Dickson

A couple of decades ago, businesses faced the challenge of managing disparate data sources about customers, the company, products and services, etc. That was a problem solved through the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

These tools enabled businesses to access and manage all their data in one place, including accounting, inventory management, sales and purchases, etc. The better visibility into company data enabled executives and employees to be more efficient in responding to customers’ needs, aka drive more sales.

Now companies have another problem: too much data, a faster paced economy, and not enough time and human resources. Information is everywhere and the rate at which we generate data is growing chaotically. By some estimates, data will be 4,300 percent increase in annual data production by 2020. Continue reading →

If you hate email trackers, block them now

by Ben Dickson

I think it’s totally up to me whether I decide to open an email or not. But apparently, others are not of the same opinion. That’s why they use mail tracking applications, a breed of software that will let the sender of an email know when you read their message.

I find it invasive, even more offending than link trackers (most mail trackers track links as well). And as it happens, most—but not all—of the tracked emails I receive are of little value. That’s why I block mail trackers and let their users think their emails were never opened.

So if you find email tracking creepy, here’s what you need to know about how it works and how you can stop it. Continue reading →

How technology can make cycling a safer sport

by Contributor

By Victor Dano, Bike Computer

As cycling becomes a more popular sport, so do cyclist become braver aiming to cover more miles, go faster and ride further outside city limits. But besides tracking speed, elevation, and other metrics that improve performance, the current technological advancements offer nothing more. Most ignore safety even though cyclists are a vulnerable group, especially when they are on road getting passed by speeding vehicles, or mountain biking on treacherous ridges where adrenaline speed rush makes one forget about the dangers. Continue reading →