A group of U.S. Senators are currently attempting to push a bipartisan bill through the Senate which aims to address a growing number of public concerns over easily hackable Internet of Things technologies. The Internet of Things, or IoT as it is commonly referred to, is a broad term that refers to all devices and applications possessing the ability to connect to the internet. Today, this includes a vast and rapidly growing array of devices ranging from smart watches and household appliances, to internet connected vehicles, medical devices, and even smart homes.
In May, Lima Charlie News reported on the introduction of a Senate bill aimed at promoting innovation and development of Internet of Things technologies in the United States. The bill, dubbed The Developing and Growing the Internet of Things, or DIGIT Act, followed a January report by the US Department of Commerce called, “Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things.”
While these measures sought to weaken government intervention in IoT development and foster innovation, the new bill proposed on August 1st, aims to regulate IoT devices sold and used within the US government in hopes of addressing prominent security concerns. This call for tougher security follows a major Denial of Services attack against internet infrastructure firm Dyn last October and the subsequent emergence of the Mirai botnet. While most large scale malicious online attacks have used home and laptop computer IP addresses when recruiting for a DdoS attack, the Dyn attack was conducted by tens of millions of IP addresses from seemingly benign IoT cameras, baby monitors, and other household devices and applications.