On Tuesday, news broke via TechCrunch that Facebook ran a sketchy “Research” program involving paid participants who downloaded an app onto their phones that was capable of monitoring virtually everything that they did—including in some cases teens as young as 13, who were recruited via social media ads that appeared…
For some people, the change in seasons would be accompanied by a change in moods, but for the worse. There is just something about a lack of sunlight or perhaps even with a bleak outlook for a few months that will send the human body into a spiral of depression. Pocket Sky from Austrian healthtech-start-up Active Wearables intends to prevent that, where it is touted to be able to put a stop to the likes of seasonal affective disorder, jet lag, or even shift work disorder. The Pocket Sky is meant to be worn like a pair of glasses for just 20 minutes daily, and it tips the scales at a mere 12 grams so that you will not even know that it is there, enabling it to blend smoothly into any lifestyle.
Courtesy of its unrivalled diminutive and unobtrusive look, the Pocket Sky is easy enough to be worn anywhere and anytime. This helps one facilitate personalized, highly effective routines, where its soft blue light will be able to help improve the wellbeing of the individual as well as vigilance through the suppression of the production of melatonin.
Pocket Sky will upend the way biologically active light is consumed, bringing with it the potential of helping out many millions worldwide who are negatively affected by disturbances of their body clock. Being able to be charged without the need for any cables via a stylish looking cradle, the Pocket Sky will be able to offer up to a couple of weeks’ worth of battery life on a full charge, making it ideal for travelling or commuting. Available from February 2019 onwards, this seems to be the ideal gift for someone who works shifts that are constantly changing, as well as for frequent travelers who skip time zones like a skipping rope each month.
Press Release
[ Pocket Sky helps keep you happy copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and if you have a Fallout fan in your life, this Modern Icons #7 Fallout T-51 Power Armor Statue will look fantastic on their desk. It’s ok if your Fallout fan likes Fallout 76, they probably still deserve a gift.
The statue was designed from Bethesda digital assets and looks just like the one from the game. It is painted in a battle-worn and weathered scheme and looks fantastic. The construction is injection molded plastic.
The injection-molded statue stands 9″ tall on a 4″ diameter base and weighs in at one pound. It’s in stock and up for order now from ThinkGeek for $49.99.
You may think that the worst you’ll risk by buying a bargain-bin smart bulb or security camera will be a bit of extra trouble setting it up or a lack of settings. But it’s not just while they’re plugged in that these slapdash gadgets are a security risk — even from the garbage can, they can still compromise your network.
Although these so-called Internet of Things gadgets are small and rather dumb, they’re still full-fledged networked computers for all intents and purposes. You may not need to do much, but you still need to take many of the same basic precautions to prevent them from, say, broadcasting your private information unencrypted to the world, or granting root access to anyone walking by.
In the case of these low-cost “smart” bulbs investigated by Limited Results (via Hack a Day), the issue isn’t what they do while connected but what they keep onboard their tiny brains, and how.
All the bulbs they tested proved to have no real security at all protecting the information kept on the chips inside. After exposing the PCBs, they attached a few leads and in a moment each device would spit out its boot data and be ready to take commands.
The data was without exception totally unencrypted, including the wireless password to the network to which the device had been connected. One device also exposed its private RSA key, used to create secure connections to whatever servers it connects to (for example to check for updates, upload user data to the cloud and so on). This information would be available to anyone who grabbed this bulb out of the trash, or stole it from an outdoor fixture or bought it secondhand.
“Seriously, 90 percent of IoT devices are developed without security in mind. It is just a disaster,” wrote Limited Results in an email. “In my research, I have targeted four different devices : LIFX, XIAOMI, TUYA and WIZ (not published yet, very unkind people). Same devices, same vulnerabilities, and even sometimes exactly same code inside.”
Now, these particular bits of information exposed on these devices aren’t that harmful in and of themselves, although if someone wanted to, they could take advantage of it in several ways. What’s important to note is the utter lack of care that went into these devices — not just their code, but their construction. They really are just basic enclosures around an off-the-shelf wireless board, with no consideration given to safety, security or longevity. And this type of thing is not by any means limited to smart bulbs.
These devices all proudly assert that they support Alexa, Google Home or other standards. This may give users a false sense that they are in some way accredited, inspected or otherwise held to basic standards.
In fact, in addition to all of them having essentially no security at all, one had its (conductive) metal shell insulated from the PCB only by a loose piece of adhesive paper. This kind of thing is an electrical fire, or at least a short, waiting to happen.
As with any other class of electronics, there’s always a pretty good reason why one is a whole lot cheaper than another. But in the case of a cheap CD player, the worst you’re going to get is skipping or a scratched disc. That’s not the case with a cheap baby monitor, a cheap smart outlet, a cheap internet-connected door lock.
I’m not saying you need to buy the premium version of every smart gadget out there — consumers need to be aware of the risks they are exposing themselves to with the installation of any such device, let alone a poorly made one.
If you want to limit your own risk, a simple step you can take is to have your smart home devices and such isolated on a subnet or guest network. Make sure that the devices, and of course your router, are password protected, and take common sense measures like changing that password regularly.
We live in an age when the old becomes new again. Some, like vinyl, have come back in their original form while others, like gaming consoles, have been miniaturized. Volkswagen is also jumping on the retro trend but with a modern twist. It is bringing back the legendary American dune buggies from the 60s and is turning them into a … Continue reading
For some people, the change in seasons would be accompanied by a change in moods, but for the worse. There is just something about a lack of sunlight or perhaps even with a bleak outlook for a few months that will send the human body into a spiral of depression. Pocket Sky from Austrian healthtech-start-up Active Wearables intends to prevent that, where it is touted to be able to put a stop to the likes of seasonal affective disorder, jet lag, or even shift work disorder. The Pocket Sky is meant to be worn like a pair of glasses for just 20 minutes daily, and it tips the scales at a mere 12 grams so that you will not even know that it is there, enabling it to blend smoothly into any lifestyle.
Courtesy of its unrivalled diminutive and unobtrusive look, the Pocket Sky is easy enough to be worn anywhere and anytime. This helps one facilitate personalized, highly effective routines, where its soft blue light will be able to help improve the wellbeing of the individual as well as vigilance through the suppression of the production of melatonin.
Pocket Sky will upend the way biologically active light is consumed, bringing with it the potential of helping out many millions worldwide who are negatively affected by disturbances of their body clock. Being able to be charged without the need for any cables via a stylish looking cradle, the Pocket Sky will be able to offer up to a couple of weeks’ worth of battery life on a full charge, making it ideal for travelling or commuting. Available from February 2019 onwards, this seems to be the ideal gift for someone who works shifts that are constantly changing, as well as for frequent travelers who skip time zones like a skipping rope each month.
Press Release
[ Pocket Sky helps keep you happy copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and if you have a Fallout fan in your life, this Modern Icons #7 Fallout T-51 Power Armor Statue will look fantastic on their desk. It’s ok if your Fallout fan likes Fallout 76, they probably still deserve a gift.
The statue was designed from Bethesda digital assets and looks just like the one from the game. It is painted in a battle-worn and weathered scheme and looks fantastic. The construction is injection molded plastic.
The injection-molded statue stands 9″ tall on a 4″ diameter base and weighs in at one pound. It’s in stock and up for order now from ThinkGeek for $49.99.
You may think that the worst you’ll risk by buying a bargain-bin smart bulb or security camera will be a bit of extra trouble setting it up or a lack of settings. But it’s not just while they’re plugged in that these slapdash gadgets are a security risk — even from the garbage can, they can still compromise your network.
Although these so-called Internet of Things gadgets are small and rather dumb, they’re still full-fledged networked computers for all intents and purposes. You may not need to do much, but you still need to take many of the same basic precautions to prevent them from, say, broadcasting your private information unencrypted to the world, or granting root access to anyone walking by.
In the case of these low-cost “smart” bulbs investigated by Limited Results (via Hack a Day), the issue isn’t what they do while connected but what they keep onboard their tiny brains, and how.
All the bulbs they tested proved to have no real security at all protecting the information kept on the chips inside. After exposing the PCBs, they attached a few leads and in a moment each device would spit out its boot data and be ready to take commands.
The data was without exception totally unencrypted, including the wireless password to the network to which the device had been connected. One device also exposed its private RSA key, used to create secure connections to whatever servers it connects to (for example to check for updates, upload user data to the cloud and so on). This information would be available to anyone who grabbed this bulb out of the trash, or stole it from an outdoor fixture or bought it secondhand.
“Seriously, 90 percent of IoT devices are developed without security in mind. It is just a disaster,” wrote Limited Results in an email. “In my research, I have targeted four different devices : LIFX, XIAOMI, TUYA and WIZ (not published yet, very unkind people). Same devices, same vulnerabilities, and even sometimes exactly same code inside.”
Now, these particular bits of information exposed on these devices aren’t that harmful in and of themselves, although if someone wanted to, they could take advantage of it in several ways. What’s important to note is the utter lack of care that went into these devices — not just their code, but their construction. They really are just basic enclosures around an off-the-shelf wireless board, with no consideration given to safety, security or longevity. And this type of thing is not by any means limited to smart bulbs.
These devices all proudly assert that they support Alexa, Google Home or other standards. This may give users a false sense that they are in some way accredited, inspected or otherwise held to basic standards.
In fact, in addition to all of them having essentially no security at all, one had its (conductive) metal shell insulated from the PCB only by a loose piece of adhesive paper. This kind of thing is an electrical fire, or at least a short, waiting to happen.
As with any other class of electronics, there’s always a pretty good reason why one is a whole lot cheaper than another. But in the case of a cheap CD player, the worst you’re going to get is skipping or a scratched disc. That’s not the case with a cheap baby monitor, a cheap smart outlet, a cheap internet-connected door lock.
I’m not saying you need to buy the premium version of every smart gadget out there — consumers need to be aware of the risks they are exposing themselves to with the installation of any such device, let alone a poorly made one.
If you want to limit your own risk, a simple step you can take is to have your smart home devices and such isolated on a subnet or guest network. Make sure that the devices, and of course your router, are password protected, and take common sense measures like changing that password regularly.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
