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Despite appearances, there is some important bipartisan work afoot on Capitol Hill. On Aug. 1, Sens. Mark Warner, Cory Gardner, Ron Wyden and Steve Daines dropped the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvements Act of 2017. The bill seeks to use the federal government’s purchasing power to drive much-needed cybersecurity improvements in internet-connected devices.
Sens. Mark Warner, Cory Gardner, Ron Wyden and Steve Daines have proposed a bill, the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017, that is a good first step in securing the Internet of Things and U.S. government systems in particular. While there are still places for improvement, this is a solid piece of common-sense legislation.
This is not a joke: "A group of security researchers have found vulnerabilities in internet-connected drive-through car washes that would let hackers remotely hijack the systems to physically attack vehicles and their occupants. The vulnerabilities would let an attacker open and close the bay doors on a car wash to trap vehicles inside the chamber, or strike them with the doors, damaging them and possibly injuring occupants." HT: @KimZetter.
Bitcoin is loosing market share. "For the last two years, rival factions have been vying for control of the Bitcoin virtual currency and its global network of computers and supporters.
The Internet of Things is a marvel. Cars, medical devices, homes, refrigerators—all of them now come with silicon chips and data collection, analysis and sharing capabilities. For the most part the enhancements in efficiency, connectivity and cost-reduction make the use of IoT a no-brainer. But lurking in the background are a host of unaddressed issues of cybersecurity, civil liberties, transparency, accountability, and privacy. Today's story of the Tell-Tale Heart lies at the intersection of technology, privacy and criminal law.
In late March 2017, I was invited to submit for the record my views on “the Promises and Perils of Emerging Technologies for Cybersecurity" before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. What follows below is what I submitted for the hearing record held on March 22, slightly modified to include some references. I invite comment from Lawfare readers.
In 2006, when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence provided its first "Annual Threat Asssessment" top billing went to the "Global Jihadist Threat." Rounding out the top three concerns, Director Negroponte mentioned the then-ongoing Iraq and Afghan wars and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Cybersecurity issues were nowhere to be found.