The NSA Wants To Spy On Thermostats, Refrigerators, and Pacemakers
The National Security Agency is researching ways to collect intelligence, of course, and the latest target is the "Internet of Things," up to and including biomedical devices like pacemakers, according to NSA deputy director Richard Ledgett during the Defense One summit on Friday.
That blanket term refers to pretty much anything that is internet-connected but not a phone or computer: Thermostats, refrigerators, security cameras, devices like Amazon Echo, and more. These may make your life easier (or sometimes harder), but they also open up additional avenues for hackers and agencies like the NSA to collect data.
Experts have raised concerns about the security vulnerabilities prevalent these devices before. Many have unencrypted signals, or broadcast their information over unsecured networks, meaning anyone can intercept that data without too much effort. The data gleaned can reveal a lot about you, your habits, your schedule, and who knows what else.
Smart cameras record your every move and upload that data to the cloud and anyone can intercept that footage on the way, like these Russian hackers did to thousands of webcams that were secured only by their default passwords. Microphones can record your conversations. A smart thermostat's usage patterns can reveal when you're going to be out of the house. Even something as simple as a smart egg tray can tell snoopers when you go grocery shopping. And for many people, some or all of that information will be relatively unsecured.
And now, it looks like the NSA is planning to tap into all that to get information on potential terror threats. Ledgett did not go into detail about how exactly the NSA will be collecting that information, and only said that the agency would be "looking at it... from a research point of view." However, in the future the agency may start bulk collection of data from IoT devices, much as they currently do for phone calls. It's unclear what consequences this will have for security tomorrow, or years down the line.
Source: The Intercept
