Google’s IoT-focused Fuchsia OS is launching on Nest Hub

Google’s new IoT-focused Fuchsia OS is beginning to roll out on Nest Hub following years of speculation about the operating system.

Fuchsia OS has been known to be in development for quite some time and Google even launched a developer site for it in 2019.

At I/O that year, Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP of Chrome and Android at Google, described Fuchsia as one of Google’s experiments around new concepts for operating systems.

Mountain View has remained vague...

25 May 2021 | IoT

Verizon Business now provides IoT connectivity across 170 countries

Verizon Business is taking its IoT connectivity global with coverage in 170 countries around the world.

The operator’s ThingSpace solution aims to provide all the tools needed to prototype, test, connect and manage IoT devices on Verizon's network.

Permanent roaming options are now available across North America and Western Europe all on a single SIM—providing enterprises with the flexibility they need to monitor a wide array of IoT devices.

Tami Erwin, CEO...

6 May 2021 | IoT

Researchers discover another Mirai variant targeting new IoT vulnerabilities

Security researchers from Palo Alto Networks have discovered another Mirai variant that is targeting new IoT vulnerabilities.

Researchers from Unit 42, the cybersecurity division of Palo Alto Networks, discovered a number of attacks on Feb 16th, 2021 that leveraged vulnerabilities including:

VisualDoor (a SonicWall SSL-VPN exploit).CVE-2020-25506 (a D-Link DNS-320 firewall exploit).CVE-2020-26919 (a Netgear ProSAFE Plus exploit).Possibly CVE-2019-19356 (a Netis WF2419...

16 March 2021 | Enterprise

Google’s acquisition of Fitbit finally crosses the finish line

Google has completed its acquisition of Fitbit after assuring regulators the company will protect user data.

The $2.1 billion acquisition was first announced in November 2019 but caught the attention of regulators around the world amid increasing scrutiny of “big tech” companies like Google.

In a letter announcing the completion of the acquisition, Fitbit founder James Park wrote:

“The trust of our users will continue to be paramount, and we will maintain...

14 January 2021 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

Pan(ic)demic buying: 51% of consumers bought a smart home device

A new study has found that 51 percent of consumers have bought a smart home device to help adapt to pandemic living. 

The study, commissioned by Xiaomi, provides some fascinating insights into the ways people have responded to the complete upheaval that COVID-19 has caused to their lives.

70 percent of respondents said they’ve made changes to their living environment due to spending more time at home for both work and leisure. Three in five of the consumers...

7 January 2021 | IoT

Amnesia:33 vulnerabilities put millions of IoT devices at risk

A new series of vulnerabilities dubbed Amnesia:33 puts millions of IoT devices at risk of being compromised.

Security researchers from Forescout disclosed the 33 vulnerabilities today. The flaws are found in four open-source TCP/IP libraries used in the firmware of products from over 150 vendors.

According to the researchers’ estimates, millions of consumer and enterprise IoT devices are at risk from Amnesia:33 vulnerabilities.

The affected libraries are uIP,...

8 December 2020 | Industrial IoT (IIoT)

The EU is set to approve Google’s acquisition of Fitbit this week

While most eyes are on the close-to-collapse Brexit negotiations, another notable European decision is finally expected this week.

Google’s proposed $2.1 billion takeover of Fitbit naturally caught the attention of the European Union—which continues to tighten its screws on “big tech” over privacy concerns.

According to Bloomberg’s sources, the EU will grant conditional approval for Google’s historic takeover this week.

We don’t know what...

7 December 2020 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

Juniper Research: Active smart home devices will exceed 13B by 2025

A report from Juniper Research suggests the number of active smart home devices will exceed 13 billion by 2025.

For comparison, the analysts expect 7.4 billion devices will be active by the end of 2020. The rapid proliferation of smart home devices over the next five years is expected to be propelled by entertainment-related tech in particular.

Juniper expects smart entertainment devices alone will generate over $230 billion of revenue in 2025.

Entertainment...

24 November 2020 | IoT

Ericsson and Orange use the IoT to help keep seniors connected

Ericsson and Orange are using their IoT expertise to help keep seniors connected with family, friends, and caregivers in what could be a very lonely time.

The COVID-19 pandemic is cruel in so many ways. Beyond the physical health impacts – including the long-term effects we're only just beginning to understand – it is also causing financial burdens, mental health issues, and feelings of isolation.

Many youngsters are tech-savvy and already use means such as online...

15 October 2020 | IoT

Netlab researchers discover IoT botnets HEH and Ttint

Security researchers from Netlab have discovered two new IoT botnets called HEH and Ttint.

Netlab is the network research division of Chinese cybersecurity giant Qihoo 360. The company’s researchers first spotted the Ttint botnet targeting Tenda routers using two zero-day vulnerabilities.

Ttint spreads a remote control trojan based on code from the Mirai malware.

Mirai caused widespread chaos in 2016 when it hit DNS provider Dyn and impacted popular services...

7 October 2020 | Security