Re:U.S. Government Finally Gets Serious About IoT Security
by bopbeepboop on Friday March 19, 2021 @07:06PM
(#26519072)
Yes — Amazon is rolling out a test gossip network on their latest generation Echos. One of my Echos shared the WiFi password with the other.
I also think separate VLANs could be better (setup is a mess), but using them is pretty easy: you just connect the device to the right VLAN at setup. All of my wall sockets are IOTnet and they have their own AP. I think a big area of improvement is making it easier to provide different VLANs with different DNS.
It’s not perfect, but it is better (owned device can’t access other trust domains; can have firewall rules enforced).
I agree it all could be better and we need regulation around disclosing sensors in IOT devices (eg, Nest should be legally obligated to disclose microphones) or IOT gossip protocols.
That would be a mirage anyway. With Nest thermostat's secret microphone, the various smart TVs with hidden cameras, and universal police access to video footage collected by the Ring doorbell network, it has become clear one can't assume any particular device isn't sensing everything in its vicinity. Cell network connections are expensive at scale, but that is due to oligopoly rent-seeking, not technical restrictions. The MNOs are pretending that it's even physically possible for them to own 5g, but it isn't. Connecting around rather than through wifi will become common for IoThings.