Some of your smart devices are not prepared to withstand hacker attacks, with many of these vulnerable to trespass in minutes. A tech expert shared with Cheddar how shoppers should gear up, ahead of this year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Craig Williams, senior technical leader and global outreach manager at Cisco, says connected Barbies, baby monitors, and smart TVs, just to name a few, are the latest items of choice on a hacker's list. Some estimates project that by 2020 the world will be home to 20.8 billion smart connected products, making poorly secured smart devices and toys a criminal's opportunity to "make bank." Williams says that unfortunately there is no secure operating system out there. The bar is very low for security within IoT devices. The best thing you can do is to find a manufacturer that will continue to make patches to its system. He also urges consumers to push harder on these manufacturers in order to ensure safe products. The expert suggests researching on Google whether products are hacker proof before purchasing the item.

Share:
More In Business
Starbucks’ Change Flushes Out a Debate Over Public Restroom Access
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
Trump Highlights Partnership Investing $500 Billion in AI
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Load More