Dark Reading – Regulations, breach concerns will push spending to over $3 billion by 2021, analyst firm says. Enterprises worldwide will spend $1.5 billion this year protecting their IoT networks and connected devices against a range of security threats, according to new estimates from Gartner.
IHLS (Israel’s Homeland Security) – Security services firm IOActive has warned that tens of thousands of robots are a threat to human safety after its researchers were able to carry out a ransomware attack against two top brands. The alert comes six months after the company warned that the most popular industrial and domestic robot brands have vulnerabilities that could be exploited by cyber attackers.
eWEEK – A joint Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation analysis finds evidence that Russia has been actively targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S with cyber-attacks. What should grid operators do in the U.S. to limit risks?
Popular Mechanics – How to steal 143 million customer records without anybody noticing. The time it takes hackers to download records depends on how large the files are. A photo contains a heck of a lot of data; a text file listing your name, address, social security number, etc., would be far smaller—especially given that the data could be compressed.
Robotics Business Review – Robotics developers already concerned about security vulnerabilities have another thing to worry about — robot ransomware. Researchers from IOActive today showed a proof-of-concept ransomware attack on two popular service robots — Pepper and NAO — from SoftBank Robotics. They demonstrated the attack at the 2018 Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit in Cancun, Mexico.
The Parallax – CANCÚN, Mexico—“Give me bitcoins now, or prepare to die.” The declaration, a clear reference to the cult classic The Princess Bride, came from an otherwise-friendly Nao robot featured in a video designed to demonstrate that, like their computer predecessors that can’t walk or roll down the street, humanoid robots like SoftBank Robotics’ Nao and Pepper are susceptible to ransomware attacks.
Dark Reading – Researchers explore why an attacker would target robots with ransomware, and the implications of what might happen if they did. Robots are in our homes, businesses, schools, and industrial facilities. They’re builders and service workers, healthcare attendants and customer assistants. As robots continue to proliferate in our lives and human-robot interactions grow, so does the potential for cyberattacks.
Hackread – Exploitable Vulnerability in Softbank’s NAO and Pepper Robots Leads to Ransomware Infection. According to the findings of security firm IOActive Labs, there is a vulnerability in Softbank Robotics’ NAO and Pepper robots that can lead to devastating ransomware attacks by causing robots deployed at workplaces to stop working.
www.V3.co.uk – Pepper, an annoyingly chirpy robot, has been infected by malware in proof of concept by security company IOActive. In a paper entitled “Robots Want Bitcoins Too!”, shows how robots like Pepper and NAO, both commercially available and both made by Softbank, can be compromised by malware – even ransomware.
CIO Dive – Robots have an increased presence in everyday technology and hackers could take note. In 2017, IOActive found about 50 flaws in robots from varying vendors. Hackers could exploit those vulnerabilities to spy through a robot’s microphone or camera, steal data or even cause “physical harm,” according to the report.