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Ross Anderson in the Security Group at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory asks some questions about whether durable goods such as cars can be Internet-connected and yet provide sufficient privacy and safety. It's not a deep discussion but it does raise a few other pertainent questions.
Perhaps the biggest challenge will be durability. At present we have a hard time patching a phone that's three years old. Yet the average age of a UK car at scrappage is about 14 years, and rising all the time; cars used to last 100,000 miles in the 1980s but now keep going for nearer 200,000. As the embedded carbon cost of a car is about equal to that of the fuel it will burn over its lifetime, we just can't afford to scrap cars after five years, as do we laptops.
Meters and medical devices are two more examples of hardware that can cause great harm when control of the integrated software is taken over by malfeasants.
Source : Making security sustainable.
and Making Security Sustainable: Can there be an Internet of durable goods? (warning for PDF)
(Score: 2, Funny) by anubi on Thursday March 08 2018, @08:27AM
You are *so* insightful bringing this up. As far as I am concerned, this alone should be a top national security issue.
Imagine... United States gets into war with "bad guy" because he does not abide with our WishList. We impose "sanctions", he retaliates by sending us a fake "Important Update" to all our computers/cars. Can you imagine the chaos that would result in this country?
And who knows if our systems aren't already compromised, with the "secret codes" to do this held in reserve for the day some "Enemy of the State" decides to play his "Trump"(pun intended) card. Our government will look just like Keystone Kops all over again.... all those badges, uniforms, armed men, salutin', and orders... but they can't get their car to start.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]