Is your TV virus-proof?

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computer, or hub, to control appliances and lighting by sending commands through the power lines and over wireless networks.

However, many home-automation systems don't use a central computer and are "closed," or not connected to the Internet outside.

The real money--and the juicier target for hackers--is in information stored on PCs and personal digital assistants, Cregg maintained. Home-automation networks are not going to be an attractive target, he said. He did not discount the possibility, however, that terrorists may one day try to sabotage homes as an attack--distributing a virus to shuts down home furnaces during a cold snap, for example.

Digital media networks--which link computers, TVs and stereos--are another matter. Though a home user may not have personal and financial information stored on devices such as personal video recorders, or PVRs, the media files could be considered valuable. Microsoft's media-focused operating system, Media Center, is built on top of the Windows XP operating system. That means that creating a virus to infect home entertainment networks is much simpler.

PVR maker TiVo argues that its Linux-based devices are more resistant than machines based on Windows. The open-source operating system has few computer viruses and worms written for it, said Jim Denney, TiVo's director of product marketing. The PVRs also cannot access the Internet on their own, which aids security, he said.

"Software doesn't get installed onto the device unless we install it," he said. "There is also a 'bang for the buck' issue. It is probably easier for virus writers to focus on a general platform like the PC."

One of the biggest dangers in building wireless capabilities into home devices is that the manufacturers typically haven't given much thought to security, said Paul Stamp, a consumer-electronics analyst at Forrester Research.

"Companies have the tendency to give people that nice widget that they don't really need and not inform people of the increased risks they might be exposed to," Stamp said.

And since it has taken years for consumers to begin to understand the threats to their PCs due to the Internet, it will take a long time for owners of wireless devices to see the potential threats, Stamp said. Meanwhile, virus writers have the time to learn how to bury worms and other attacks deep into the fiber of all sorts of machines.

"In many cases, the end-user isn't given the opportunity to mitigate this risk by turning something like wireless connectivity off," Stamp said. "The manufacturers aren't thinking about security, they just want to add that cool new functionality."

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Microsoft is the problem

If you are dumb enough to use something that is as insecure as
Windows in your car....then you will deserve it when you breaks
lock up while on the highway because your car's "brains" had a
critical error and had to dump its memory.
When will the lemmings learn.

[Jonathan]

Oh joy....ignorance at its best.

So how do you explain the Symbian OS Worms that came out last year that spreads via BlueTooth. I'm not defending Microsoft but the cure all sure as hell isn't just switching to another OS. I will say this about Microsoft. NO WAY IN HELL am I purchasing a MS based consumer product other then a PC. All system may be susceptible to malware but Windows is NOT a good all around OS for consumer products. Ive seen Windows ATMs BSOD. ***?!?!
The only real way to be secure it to build your own OS or make it proprietary enough that a virus that works on one system can't just jump to another or simply doesn't function or the system. The issue is cost. Building an OS is obviously more expensive then nabbing one that is pretty much ready to go out of the box with only minimal tweaking required. That is why you are seeing everything from ATMs to cars running Windows. Its cheap. You can determine whether Im talking price, quality or both.

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You Can't Read, Can You?

The article is talking about how home appliances will be the target, does it say anything about "MS Only"? Obviously MS haters have no tempers and no brains.

[Prndll]

This is NOT just an MS concern...

The real problem here is that it just is not appropriate to make everything network addressable. Regardless of OS, making things network addressable is going to create an entire host of new problems.

Although, I really don't care for the idea of needing to pay $300+ for a code key to access and drive my new car or for that matter, the ability to use my new electric shaver.

I wonder about the potential threats associated with the possibility of my electric shaver sending digitized DNA data over the internet through a WIFI setup to anyone.