Staff report May 01. 2018 9:58AM Jeremy Hitchcock listens to a business plan from Dan Brackett with PickUp Patrol during the New Hampshire Speed Venture Summit event in November in Bedford. Hitchcock, the former CEO of Dyn, now runs Minim, a startup that announced $2.5 million in seed funding Monday. (THOMAS ROY/UNION LEADER FILE) MANCHESTER — Minim, a startup founded by Dyn co-founder and former CEO Jeremy Hitchcock, raised $2.5 million in seed funding to further develop its “internet of things” platform designed to protect connected devices and ensure fast WiFi in homes. The round was led by Flybridge Capital Partners and Founder Collective, the Manchester company announced Monday. Hitchcock established Minim last year in response to the massive Mirai distributed denial of service attack that took down Dyn and several major internet services in October 2016. “As billions of IoT devices enter homes, consumers are sold on the expectations that their … [Read more...] about $2.5m in seed funding for Dyn co-founder’s startup Minim to secure ‘internet of things’
Securing internet of things
CBS News Logo Google’s Nest, Samsung hatch new Internet of Things group
A handful of companies including Google's Nest Labs and Samsung combined forces to create another new standards group to try enabling the so-called Internet of Things, joining a growing list of organizations trying to make better sense of the concept. The nonprofit, called Thread Group, launched Tuesday with founding members including ARM, Freescale, Big Ass Fans, Silicon Labs, and Yale Security. Thread adds its name to a bunch of other groups trying to streamline and improve the very large idea of the Internet of Things, also known as IOT. The term describes the idea of having appliances, objects, and electronic devices all connected to each other and the Internet within the home, office, or elsewhere. The new group was founded about a week after a separate IOT organization, Open Interconnect Consortium, was unveiled with Intel and Samsung's backing. A third group, AllSeen Alliance, was established in December with the support of Qualcomm. Google and Apple also have discussed efforts … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Google’s Nest, Samsung hatch new Internet of Things group
CBS News Logo Internet of Things devices full of security gaps, study shows
In an increasingly interconnected world where everything from televisions to refrigerators to cars is connected to the Internet, the data collected by the so-called "Internet of Things" is a natural target for hackers. However, IoT devices currently available on the market don't afford all the security protections we need, experts say. A study by HP reveals that 70 percent of the most common IoT devices had security vulnerabilities. Those weaknesses ranged from the recent Heartbleed bug to weak password requirements. HP also warned that many of the same vulnerabilities that affect other technologies -- network, mobile and apps -- have just been combined to create an even more insecure product. When HP reviewed ten of the most popular devices -- including TVs, webcams, home thermostats, remote power outlets, sprinkler controls and automatic door locks -- a majority of them raised privacy concerns. HP did not reveal the brand names of the items tested. Researchers found that 90 … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Internet of Things devices full of security gaps, study shows
FTC: “Internet of Things” poses consumer risks
For consumers, the advent of "smart" TVs, home automation gear and other web-enabled products offers a wealth of new capabilities. But the "Internet of Things," as this emerging technological ecosystem is known, also poses serious security risks. In a new report, the Federal Trade Commission lays out just how vulnerable that makes us, urging consumers and businesses to make safe use and design of the gadgets a priority. Although there is no single, uniform definition of the The Internet of Things, it generally refers to physical objects -- from home thermostat and lighting controls to baby monitors and wearable fitness gadgets -- that can connect to the Internet and each other. Not counting computers and smartphones, such devices are estimated to number 25 billion worldwide, including health monitoring, home security, vehicle, power usage and many other products. Although such gear has a wide range of potential uses, they also generate and store enormous amounts of potentially … [Read more...] about FTC: “Internet of Things” poses consumer risks
Report: ‘Internet of Things’ will thrive by 2025
One day it may send you signals, say a text message, when you need to buy more. That may sound far-fetched or unnecessary – it's not that hard to remember the milk – but such Internet-connected objects are a big topic these days in the tech world. The "Internet of Things" encompasses everything from wearable tech to connected home devices and stuff that hasn't yet been imagined. By 2025 the "Internet of Things" will "have widespread and beneficial effects on the every day lives of the public," according to most of the 1,600 experts who contributed to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center. "They expect positive change that will impact health, transportation, shopping, industrial production and the environment," said Janna Anderson, director of the Imagining the Internet Center and a co-author of the report. "But they also warn about the privacy implications of this new data-saturated world and about the … [Read more...] about Report: ‘Internet of Things’ will thrive by 2025