Bullet in the head(less device)

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Many of us are going headless, in a device sense anyway! But is it a good thing and is this headless thing secure? Well, the other week I got involved in reacting to a tweet about Amazon Echo, being introduced into a Care Home environment. Here it is below.

Click here to read the tweet and the discussion following.
https://twitter.com/ArthurDavisCrt/status/984765373319929857
No doubt about it, this is cool tech. Who would choose a Querty (or an Azerty pour la Franciais readers - merci!) keyboard over speaking your commands? Didn't Captain Kirk have one on the Enterprise, to rebel the Klingons, on the starboard bow? I think he did.

As at the end of 2017, it was estimated worldwide, over 20 million homes had a voice activated assistant. Most of these were from Amazon (73%), remainder from Google (27%). Amazons, comes ready primed to shop (as you would expect). You can easily disable this feature however.

Once the digital assistant is awake, it records what is said and sends that recording (over an encrypted connection) to the back end servers, where it’s stored. These devices are 'always listening'. These headless devices, posing as smart speakers are designed to be hubs that can control other Internet of Things (IoT) appliances in the home. This could be lights, thermostat, and door locks. This convenience creates some potential vulnerabilities.

Clearly just shouting 'open the front door', or 'disable the alarm', would make life very easy for burglars out there. So clearly not sensible applications perhaps, if you value your security.

Probably pre-storing your credit card info, passwords etc, in your headless digital assistant, is not so smart either. It might be convenient, but not so secure for thieves or maybe teenage family members, looking to make an impulse purchase.

So what are Amazon and the like doing about security?

Well in fairness, they disallow third party apps being installed on the device, in their own words, "instigate rigorous security reviews, secure software development requirements and encryption of communication between Echo, the Alexa App and Amazon servers".

So, what security tips are worth considering?

Well, link your headless device to a known home or work wifi connection. Avoid an open or public node. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA) when available. Mute the device when you go away on holiday, so someone outside the house can’t shout commands to it. Be careful about which accounts you connect. If you don’t need to use the calendar or address book don’t enable these features.

On the plus side (and there's plenty on the plus side), these can be used very well to connect with IOT (Internet of Things) devices for all kinds of domestic and social care applications. Alexa flexibly allows 'skills' to be added, which may allow residents to access information or perform other tasks. E.G. Ask for their rent balance, request a landlord visit or other action. IOT can monitor usual activities, such as what sort of time residents first use the bathroom or switch on an IOT connected kettle for the morning brew, and alert care staff if this does not happen at a usual time.

While this would not necessarily replace qualified care staff coming in, on a regular basis, it might well complement it, or provide different choices for certain residents, who might prefer more privacy or more social interaction. I don't think it should be an all or nothing approach, residents are key to all this tech fitting together.

Related Post: Forget the ICT team, its your users who need to play to win, for your projects... 

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Rage Against The Machine - Bullet In The Head.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here

Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.
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Block Chain Rockin' Beats

If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @HousingITguy
or LinkedIn here https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy



You like me must have been reading lots about the Internet Of Things (IOT), particularly how it's expected to work within socialhousing. I have chatted to people and read about sensors for care and support, that detect if our service users have left their bed, brushed their teeth, or switched the kettle on for a morning brew. Also of smart boilers, that can contact its owner, via a contractor and log a repair, to correct its fault that is just becoming evident. The logical step for an autonomous boiler, is to go beyond calling for help, actually order it, with BitCoin too.

I already have a gas and electric meter read by the dustcart every fortnight, when it does the bins down my road.  See, I am a pioneer myself! As we know though, from the old cowboy films, pioneers are generally those with the arrows in their backs. Better in some cases, to maybe ride in later, with the women and children, in the covert wagons.

It all sounds like good stuff eh? What could go wrong?

Well it would be enormously funny if a hacker spoofed every new boiler on the scheme and logged multiple works orders for each. You know just for fun? Or maybe, more a scenario that auditors might think of. What if one of your Contractors got a young hacker in to just spoof a few randomly, at regular intervals, to log a repair?

As for my meters, when I was a young pup at school, a mate of mines father, good catholic of course, discovered a way to reduce his gas bill. For a few weeks each month, he switched it around, running it backwards. This worked fine until one quarter he over did it. The gas board (way before we were asked to 'Tell Sid' and privatise it off to be British Gas), were puzzled as he seemed to be supplying gas to the national grid. What if I could spoof my meters?

Clearly it would not be in my interests to risk anything like that, but how can be safeguard, secure all these IOT sensors, to prove they are what they seem?

Bitcoin uses the BlockChain concept, in order to authenticate transactions, in order to set up a 'trust' relationship. Blockchain technology is an ideal way to track IOT devices and their individual histories. Much like in Bitcoin, a 'ledger' of IOT transactions can be created, so peer devices can be sure of what they are talking to, and its history. With the reliability of a Blockchain history, maybe even an auditor will allow that boiler to place its own repair and combined with a digital currency, such as Bitcoin, pay for the works order itself.

This would provide a secure means of digital data sharing, with a scalable and robust form of coordination, between devices.   It's a fascinating subject and clearly we are at the beginning of a device revolution here. Read more on the Blockchain technology stack below.

http://www.coindesk.com/blockchain-application-stack/
Related Post: What happens when Channel Shift may slim down your service centre? 

     Catch the blog monthly archive at https://archive.org/details/@housingitguy

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I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.


The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here

Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.
File Under: 360,1stTouch,4Js. , 07854655009 ,365Agile," """" ",,#UKHousing,#HousingDAY, #HomesForBritain,#InternetOfTenants, #Shout,1st Touch,3squared,Accuserv,Acutence,Aareon,Academy,ActiveH,AirWatch,Alignment,ALMO,Anite,Apex,ArchHouse,Archouse,asbestos, Asprey e-state pro,ActiveHousing,Asset Management,Aurora,Average IT Costs,App,Associates,ACL,Abritas,AMS,AX,aspireview,Agile365, BO,BPR,Browser Applications,Business Objects,Business Planning, Business Process Review,Business social networking, Blockwise, Block wise,BI,BancTec,BluTek,Bluebox, Castle,CBL,Cedar Open Accounts,Cx,Change,Cheaper Housing IT,Chics, CHR,Citrix,Civica,Clearview,CMS , CCS IT Keystone CCSIT,Civica Genero,Contractor Systems,CORE,CorVu,Cost Reductions,Covalent,CRM,Crystal Reports,CTI,CTX,Customer Relationship Management,Cashflow, COA,Coactiva,Codeman,Comino,Competitive Dialogue process,complex IT procurements,Component Accounting, Community Reward Services, Consilium, Consolidation, Consultancy,Consultant,Contact 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