Bricked & Abandoned: Fighting For The IoT’s Future

The size of the Internet of Things is predicted to double in the next several years, from roughly 15 billion connected devices in 2020 to more than 30 billion by 2030. Smart, software driven and Internet connected stuff is working its way into our homes, workplaces – even our bodies. But, as the IoT ages, problems are emerging that threaten to undercut the gains in productivity enabled by smart, Internet connected stuff.

Chief among them: bricked and abandoned devices. 

As the IoT ages, a gap has emerged between the useful life of connected hardware devices – often measured in decades – and the willingness of manufacturers to support them, which is typically measured in years. The result: useful and functioning technology from smart home appliances and personal electronics, to heavy equipment and medical devices, are reaching their OEM-imposed “end of life” and being bricked or abandoned by their makers. That leaves businesses, consumers and communities holding the bag, while providing malicious actors and nation states with a vulnerable population of hundreds of millions of devices to exploit and leverage in attacks. 

In San Francisco? A Discussion on May 7th

On May 7th in San Francisco, Secure Resilient Future Foundation is hosing a panel discussion at the W Hotel on 3rd Street. The panel is timed to coincide with the annual RSA Security Conference and we’ve invited experts from the federal government and cybersecurity community discuss this looming cybersecurity crisis, and strategies to avoid it and ensure a bright and sustainable future for the Internet of Things. 

This panel is the first official event organized by the Secure Resilient Future Foundation (SRFF). It will include a light breakfast of coffee/tea/juices, fruit, pastries, etc. An RSA conference badge is not needed to attend! Many thanks to Veracode Inc. for co-hosting this event!

Participants: 

• Allan Friedman, Senior Advisor and Strategist, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
• Window Snyder, Founder and CEO at Thistle Technologies
• Tarah Wheeler, CEO & Founder, Red Queen Dynamics
• Jake Williams, Instructor, IANS
• Chris Wysopal, Founder & CTO, Veracode
• Paul Roberts (moderator), Founder, Secure Resilient Future Foundation

Topics/Agenda:

• Introductions and SRFF unveiling
• The aging Internet of Things – what happens when connected stuff gets old 
• The scope of the “abandonware” problem and recent incidents of prematurely “obsolete” stuff
• The cyber risk implications of old software and hardware. (See also: Ivanti!) 
• EOL WTF? – What governs OEMs decisions to EOL products? What happens, today, when products go EOL? 
• A brighter future: orchestrating a graceful handoff of responsibility for maintaining connected stuff
• Q&A

RSVP to attend!

If you’re going to be in San Francisco on May 7th and want to attend our panel, use the RSVP button below to reserve your place. This is an invite only event and space is limited, so be sure to RSVP now!