Technology

How to Stop Your Home From Being Hacked

Published

6 years ago

January 4, 2017

Jeff Desjardins

How to Stop Your Home From Being Hacked

Billions of new objects are being connected to the internet of things (IoT), and it’s going to change your life.

However, if you are not careful, this change may not be in the positive way that is expected.

As more home devices get connected to the internet, new doors get opened for hackers to potentially access your personal information. Any hacking of this data could have dire consequences to your personal life, career, or financial security.

Today’s infographic from RefiGuide gives context around IoT hacking, including the range of security concerns created by new IoT devices and suggestions on how you can protect yourself.

IoT Hacking Isn’t New

Did you know that former Vice President Dick Cheney had a Wi-Fi enabled pacemaker? His cardiologist disabled this feature in 2007 to ensure that hackers couldn’t control his heartbeat. While this seems like the plot from the TV series Homeland (it was), that doesn’t make it any less possible.

Internet security experts have been warning for years about the dangers of a more connected world. To date, we’ve seen the following examples of IoT hacks:

Jeep recalled 1.4 million vehicles after it was proven they could be hacked remotely
Same goes for a Ford Escape, using a physical connection and laptop
Over 100k IoT devices were used to block traffic to sites such as Twitter and Netflix in a DDoS attack
Samsung “smart fridges” were found to leave Gmail login credentials vulnerable to hackers

Despite thousands of new IoT devices hitting the market, the fact is that many lack sufficient encryption features. This makes them particularly vulnerable.

Further, connected devices provide multiple entrances for would-be hackers: the device, connected devices, data centers, and communication channels are all possible access points.

How to Protect Yourself

Until manufacturers are able to guarantee that basic cybersecurity measures are in place for new IoT devices, there are a few ways you can protect yourself.

First, make strong passwords for your router and connected devices, and consider disabling them when you are away from home for extended periods of time. Don’t connect devices that you don’t need – consider holding off on your Wi-Fi connected “smart fridge” until it is something you truly need.

Next, create segmented networks at home for your IoT devices, PC and mobile, and guests. Give each of them different tiers of access, such that someone hacking the IoT network will not be able to tap into your personal data.

Lastly, keep your router firmware up-to-date. This is the programming it uses to function, and regularly updating firmware (either automatically or manually) means that it will be less vulnerable to hacks.

Related Topics:cybersecurity home hacking IOT

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Ranked: America’s Largest Semiconductor Companies

This graphic visualizes the market capitalizations of America’s 15 largest semiconductor companies.

Published

3 days ago

June 5, 2023

Marcus Lu

Ranking America’s Largest Semiconductor Companies

As our world moves further into an era of widespread digitization, few industries can be considered as important as semiconductors.

These components are found in almost everything we use on a daily basis, and the ability to produce them domestically has become a topic of national security. For example, in 2022 the Biden administration announced the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to strengthen America’s position in everything from clean energy to artificial intelligence.

With this in mind, we’ve ranked the top 15 U.S. semiconductor companies by their market capitalizations.

Data and Highlights

The data we used to create this infographic is listed in the table below. Year-to-date (YTD) returns were included for additional context. Both metrics are as of May 30, 2023.

Rank	Company	Ticker	Market Cap (USD billions)	YTD Return
1	Nvidia	NVDA	$992	180.2%
2	Broadcom	AVGO	$335	45.1%
3	AMD	AMD	$202	95.7%
4	Texas Instruments	TXN	$160	8.2%
5	Qualcomm	QCOM	$129	8.2%
6	Intel	INTC	$125	12.2%
7	Applied Materials	AMAT	$115	41.2%
8	Analog Devices	ADI	$89	9.2%
9	Lam Research	LRCX	$85	52.1%
10	Micron Technology	MU	$78	42.3%
11	Snyopsys	SNPS	$71	45.4%
12	KLA	KLAC	$63	21.8%
13	Marvell Technology Group	MRVL	$54	76.2%
14	Microchip Technology	MCHP	$42	11.2%
15	ON Semiconductor	ON	$36	36.3%

At the top is Nvidia, which became America’s newest $1 trillion company on Tuesday, May 30th. Shares pulled back slightly over the day and Nvidia closed at $992 billion. Over the past decade, Nvidia has transformed from a gaming-focused graphics card producer to a global leader in AI and data center chips.

In third and sixth place are two of America’s most well known chipmakers, AMD and Intel. These longtime rivals are moving in opposite trajectories, with AMD shares climbing 770% over the past five years, and Intel shares falling 47%. One reason for this is the data center segment, in which AMD appears to be stealing market share from Intel.

Further down the list we see Applied Materials in seventh, and Lam Research in ninth. Both firms specialize in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and thus play an important role in the industry’s supply chain.

Trade War Impacts

As tensions between the U.S. and China escalate, chipmakers are becoming increasingly entangled in geopolitical conflict.

In October 2022, the Biden administration introduced new export controls aimed at blocking China’s access to semiconductors produced with U.S. equipment. This impacted several companies in our top 15 list, including Lam Research and Applied Materials.

Shortly after the export controls were announced, Lam Research said it expected to lose upwards of $2.5 billion in annual revenues.

We lost some very profitable customers in the China region, and that’s going to persist, obviously.
– Doug Bettinger, CFO, Lam Research

In response, China announced in May 2023 that it would no longer allow America’s largest memory chipmaker, Micron, to sell its products to “critical national infrastructure operators”.

This is not the first time Micron has been involved in a controversy with China. In 2018, the firm alleged that Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, a Chinese state-owned company, had solicited a Micron employee to steal specifications for memory chips. The U.S. Department of Commerce imposed export restrictions on Fujian Jinhua as a result.

Chipmakers on both sides of the Pacific will be closely watching as competition between these two countries heats up.