The mythical (or not) Internet-connected refrigerator is a handy object tech journalists can beat up on, but it does serve as a reminder that the so-called Internet of things comes with a down side: It opens another vulnerability vector in organizations as well as homes.
As this piece points out, smart devices aren’t necessarily secure.
That’s why at a recent conference the chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned the agency’s position is “companies need to build security into their products, no exceptions.”
It’s a position that IT departments of organizations that make corporate or consumer embedded devices should keep in mind.
There are those that say when it comes to consumer devices there’s a trade-off between convenience/usability and security.
But the article also notes quotes a conference panelist that both have to be a priority.
“Great user experience design is just hard, and yes, integrating security into a great design is also hard,” he said. “Consumers will adopt the products with the best experience and the features they need at the price they can afford. Maintaining this balance isn’t easy, but the companies that are successful with this balancing act, while making security features a priority, can win.”