2016 is the presidential election year in the United States and many people all over the world are eagerly waiting to see who the next President will be. One area which is undergoing change as a result of technology is of course voting. In recent years, considerable interest has been generated in relation to electronic voting. However, electronic and/or online voting is inadvisable for several reasons. Anonymity is a critical aspect of voting in any democracy. Anything that compromises voting anonymity can lead to corruption or bribery. With that in mind, here are few things to bear in mind in regard to electronic voting machines.
1. The first problem is how to audit the electronic voting machine. How can you really ensure that whatever software you decide to use on the voting machine, will actually be the software on the machine on election day? However secure you may think the voting machines are, they cannot be absolutely secure.
2. Votes in transit. Whatever way you decide to transmit the voting data from the machines to the final count will contain risk of interference. However securely you may try to transmit the voting data, risks will be involved.
3. The central count program. This is the program that will take all of the voting numbers and calculate the final result. This program will be susceptible to hacking, however securely you try to protect it.
In view of the fact that somewhere between 5% and 50% of all desktop computers worldwide are infected with some kind of virus, we must be extremely careful in regard to how we design electronic voting software or hardware. The video below carefully addresses the points above and explains why electronic or online voting is inadvisable. As we embrace caution, it is important that we proceed with caution, particularly as it relates to politics. There is a huge incentive for people to skew electoral results so that they can ensure that their chosen candidate or party gets into power. In view of the political turmoil all over the world right now, this could be potentially disastrous. On top of that, we must never lose sight of the fundamental principles upon which democracy is based, namely accountability, transparency and control of the abuse of power.
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Monday 18 January 2016
Tuesday 12 January 2016
David Bowie's legacy
The world has been deeply saddened over the past few days to learn of the unfortunate passing of an extremely talented musician, David Bowie. Bowie truly was a musical revolutionary who will be remembered for decades as one of the greatest musicians of his time. However, as well as being a brilliant musician, Bowie was also an Internet pioneer. That is to say, Bowie was ahead of his time when he launched his internet service BowieNet in 1998. Few other artists in the late nineties provided any online material to their fans. BowieNet also operated as a full internet service provider in the UK and the US, competing with the likes of AOL and others. In interviews during the nineties, Bowie said that he expected the internet to have a huge effect on the music industry. How right he was. Bowie's website was the first attempt to create an online community around a rock star and it worked extremely well. Bowie also produced BowieWorld, a 3D chat environment offered via his site. Many other artists around the world have now taken Bowie's lead and harnessed the online world to promote their music. What Bowie achieved will truly be remembered for a long time. This video below is a brief yet poignant tribute to the great artist.
Tuesday 5 January 2016
Security threats for 2016
Although 2015 witnessed many exciting developments within the Internet of Things, it was also the year that the Internet of Things got hacked. Some notable examples of security breaches last year include the Ashley Madison incident and the hack into InvestBank in the United Arab Emirates. As fears about cybercrime become exacerbated, here are some areas in which we can expect to see further security breaches in 2016.
1. Extortion hacking. This is where hackers threaten to release sensitive data unless the victim pays money or meets some other demand. Public release of sensitive data can potentially ruin someone's career or personal life, so extortion hacking can be brutally effective. In cases where victims give in to the demands of the hacker, the public may never know about the hacking. Such attacks will unfortunately become more prevalent in 2016.
2. Data manipulation attacks. Cyber attacks that change or manipulate data have become a major area of concern now. When hackers succeed in infiltrating a system and altering data, the effects can be catastrophic. For instance, if hackers could penetrate a stock trading system, they could force stock prices to either rise or fall, thus altering the global markets. Data sabotage that comprises the integrity of weapons systems could be hazardous to global security.
3. Chip and PIN hacking. Last year saw a rise in Chip and PIN fraud. Banks have responded by designing improved Chip and PIN cards in order to circumvent such incidents, but hackers are ever vigilant for opportunities to exploit in this area. Banks will need to continue to maintain high level security measures in order to thwart hackers. However, as someone once said, the biggest security risk for any bank is its customers. If customers are careless with their banking data, hackers will have ample opportunity to hack into bank accounts and steal funds.
4. Zombie botnets. Last year we witnessed connected cars, medical devices and skateboards get hacked. There is an emerging trend for commandeering of IoT devices for botnets. This means that CCTV cameras can be turned into botnet armies in order to launch DDOS attacks. This will unfortunately become a major risk this year.
Cybersecurity will be critically important as we move forward into the Internet of Things. Cybersecurity specialists will become highly sought after individuals worlwide in view of the increase in risks. Now is an exciting time to be alive. This year promises to be an interesting one in terms of the technological developments in store. But every new development brings with it opportunities for hackers. So vigilance and care as always are extremely important.
1. Extortion hacking. This is where hackers threaten to release sensitive data unless the victim pays money or meets some other demand. Public release of sensitive data can potentially ruin someone's career or personal life, so extortion hacking can be brutally effective. In cases where victims give in to the demands of the hacker, the public may never know about the hacking. Such attacks will unfortunately become more prevalent in 2016.
2. Data manipulation attacks. Cyber attacks that change or manipulate data have become a major area of concern now. When hackers succeed in infiltrating a system and altering data, the effects can be catastrophic. For instance, if hackers could penetrate a stock trading system, they could force stock prices to either rise or fall, thus altering the global markets. Data sabotage that comprises the integrity of weapons systems could be hazardous to global security.
3. Chip and PIN hacking. Last year saw a rise in Chip and PIN fraud. Banks have responded by designing improved Chip and PIN cards in order to circumvent such incidents, but hackers are ever vigilant for opportunities to exploit in this area. Banks will need to continue to maintain high level security measures in order to thwart hackers. However, as someone once said, the biggest security risk for any bank is its customers. If customers are careless with their banking data, hackers will have ample opportunity to hack into bank accounts and steal funds.
4. Zombie botnets. Last year we witnessed connected cars, medical devices and skateboards get hacked. There is an emerging trend for commandeering of IoT devices for botnets. This means that CCTV cameras can be turned into botnet armies in order to launch DDOS attacks. This will unfortunately become a major risk this year.
Cybersecurity will be critically important as we move forward into the Internet of Things. Cybersecurity specialists will become highly sought after individuals worlwide in view of the increase in risks. Now is an exciting time to be alive. This year promises to be an interesting one in terms of the technological developments in store. But every new development brings with it opportunities for hackers. So vigilance and care as always are extremely important.
Monday 4 January 2016
Technology of 2016
As we enter 2016 it's important to take a moment to reflect on some of the extraordinary developments we have witnessed over the course of the past year within the tech space. There is no doubt that we are standing on the threshold of one of the most significant milestones in history. Of particular interest will be phone chargers, mainstream 3D printers for home use and 3D apps. Virtual reality technology like the Oculus rift will also garner enormous attention worldwide. Many of these cutting edge developments are ready to go but it will be quite some time before they become mainstream all over the world. As Sci-Fi author William Gibson once quipped, the future is already here, it's just not very evenly distributed. The video below is well worth watching to get an inkling of what we can expect to see this year.
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