There are fascinating and potentially very helpful smart gadgets being introduced every day into the consumer market. Particularly to create “smart homes” that will make refrigerators, lights, doors, and anything else that can be connected online (so basically anything) Wi-Fi enabled so that you can control, check on, record, and lock them, just to name just a few of the possibilities, from anywhere with a handy dandy app or mobile device. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘IoT’
Are Smart Homes Security Dumb?
Tuesday, March 8th, 2016The Internet of Medical Things: Health Data Privacy
Thursday, March 3rd, 2016Note: This was written in early January for part of International Data Privacy Day and Iowa Data Privacy Day activities. It is just now being published due to some unforeseen delays.
Do you have any type of wearable health device, like a fitness tracker? Or maybe an implanted or attached medical device, like an insulin pump or pacemaker? If they connect with apps or other computers through wireless connections, they are most likely collecting and sending huge amounts of data. Have you considered all that data, and how it is secured and who is getting it? (more…)
Data Predictions: Looking Ahead to 2016
Wednesday, January 13th, 2016In November, some of my friends contacted me, saying they thought I did a pretty good job with my 2015 predictions, and wanted to know what I am predicting for 2016. So here are some good possibilities for the year to come, along with a rewind to see how close I hit the 2015 predictions. (more…)
Hey, Developers! Save Privacy in the IoT Explosion
Thursday, July 2nd, 2015I’ve been concerned with and writing about the information security and privacy risks involved with the data created, transmitted and processed by smart devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) for several years since they first started emerging (e.g., here) and will likely be writing on it even more in the coming months and years. According to a new IDC research report, the IoT market will grow from $655.8 billion in 2014 to $1.7 trillion in 2020 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.9%. Will privacy die in this IoT explosion? If IoT developers and manufacturers take action now, I’m optimistic that they can save privacy in the IoT explosion. (more…)
Organizations Must Consider Privacy Harms
Tuesday, May 12th, 2015The expanding use of smart gadgets in the Internet of Things (IoT) is creating many more privacy risks than ever before encountered. Many businesses are also (finally!) starting to address privacy. And interest in how to establish privacy programs and how to perform privacy impact assessments (PIAs) to identify privacy risks are increasing. The privacy risks to the business that can occur include such things as: (more…)
How businesses can reduce wearables security & privacy risks
Thursday, March 12th, 2015“Everyone knows that hackers only go after big organizations!” the wearable medical device representative shouted at me after my presentation on the need to build security and privacy controls into such devices, as well as having policies and procedures governing their use within the business organization. “It is a waste of our time, effort and money to establish and build in such security and privacy controls!”
This one person’s strong opinion is one that I’ve heard many times over the years about implementing security and privacy controls in general. And it is becoming more dangerous from a security and privacy perspective to not only those using wearable devices of all kinds (medical, fitness, tracking, etc.), but wearables also bring significant risk to the organizations whose employees are wearing them. (more…)
Perceptive Privacy Protectors Push for IoT Privacy Protections
Friday, February 20th, 2015Still relevant lessons in security economics
I started working in the information security and privacy space in 1988 at a large multi-national financial and healthcare organization. Imagine trying to get security and privacy controls implemented at a time when there were no regulations requiring organizations to do so. Yes, I faced some challenges. And many since. Some examples: (more…)
Data Collection Must be Limited for Internet of Things Privacy
Friday, January 30th, 2015The recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was overflowing with new types of gadgets and devices that will become part of the Internet of Things (IoT). A business friend of mine attended the show and when he filled me in on all that he saw, he expressed amazement at what he estimated to be hundreds of wearable gadgets that he found there; they literally “dominated” the show. I had asked him prior to his attendance if he could check with some of the vendors on an important privacy topic while he was there, and so he had a lot to tell me about what he found, as well as what the vendors he spoke with wouldn’t tell him, that are directly related to privacy. (more…)
4 Privacy Predictions for 2015
Saturday, November 29th, 2014It is that time of the year again…time for prognostications about the year ahead!
I was asked to provide a few predictions for 2015. Based upon not only what I’ve seen in 2014, but also foreshadowing from the past two-three decades, here are some realistic possibilities. (more…)
10 Big Data Analytics Privacy Problems
Thursday, June 26th, 2014Big data analytics are being used more widely every day for an even wider number of reasons. These new methods of applying analytics certainly can bring innovative improvements for business. For example, retail businesses are successfully using big data analytics to predict the hot items each season, and to predict geographic areas where demand will be greatest, just to name a couple of uses.
The power of big data analytics is so great that in addition to all the positive business possibilities, there are just as many new privacy concerns being created. Here are ten of the most significant privacy risks. (more…)
