The security of Internet of Things devices was a popular topic here at the RSA Conference. In fact, there were more than a dozen sessions on IoT security, even though there was not a separate track for IoT at the conference. The session topics ranged from connected product security to connected car vulnerabilities and enterprise IoT security. Perhaps the most interesting discussion on IoT security did not even take place at RSA, but at a nearby after-hours event sponsored by Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology and the Herndon, V.A.-based Mach 37 Cyber Accelerator. 

The ever-inflating Internet of Things (IoT) could get a boost in the form of federal assistance under a bill just filed in the U.S. Senate. The text of the bill, short-titled the “Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things Act” — DIGIT, for short — estimates that 50 billion devices will be connected to each other by 2020 and acknowledges the huge potential that level of interconnectivity could have on society. Pilot projects are already underway to start setting up connections that could be used to improve government operations and better deliver service to citizens — for instance, San …

Researcher Marie Moe woke up after emergency surgery in 2011 with a new pacemaker to correct a heart condition. What she didn't realize at the time was that the lifesaving device in her chest exposed her to a completely different kind of threat. The pacemaker keeping her alive has wireless connectivity capabilities — a detail her doctors didn't tell her — meaning it could be hacked. Moe was understandably disturbed that it never occurred to her doctors to tell her that her device had wireless capability, and they had not considered the security implications.

Zipcar is not building a self-driving car, but it is trying to make sure it is ready to take advantage of autonomous cars as soon as possible. “We are in the mix as much as anyone could be,” said Nichole Mace, vice president of product and member experience for Zipcar. “From a member standpoint it’s just really an extension of what we’re doing today.” Zipcar is very clear to say the Boston-based company is not working on its own autonomous car, but it has started laying the groundwork for adding self-driving cars to its fleet. 

 Security experts say hackers aren’t just interested in your home computer anymore. Any Internet-connected device could be a target and a new type of search engine has made it easier than ever to find vulnerable devices. Dale Drew, Chief Security Officer at Level 3 Communications, wants consumers to know about the search engine Shodan, which CNN called the “scariest search engine on the Internet.” Shodan bills itself as “the world’s first search engine for Internet-connected devices,” allowing “authenticated account holders” to search for exposed Webcams, baby monitors, …

There was a time when grocery shoppers seeking information about their food could get it straight from the farmer who grew it. As it turns out, today’s consumers are every bit as hungry for the same level of connection and insight — and recent tech advances are only increasing their appetite. Each product has a story to tell, and the data that results from the telling of that story can benefit consumers and retailers alike. Consider Coop Italia, the largest grocery chain in Italy with 18 percent market share; the system of consumers’ cooperatives includes 1,100 supermarkets and 100 hypermarkets stretched …

In less than five years, there will be more than 26 billion different connected devices in our homes, cars and businesses, according to Gartner. All are designed to make lives easier and facilitate tasks – and that figure doesn’t even include personal computers, tablets and smartphones. As the Internet of Things (IoT) converges with servitisation (also known as outcome-based services), machine-to-machine learning, 3D printing and wide spread cloud adoption, one of the biggest considerations is going to be around service.

Amazon is putting Alexa, the brains of Amazon Echo, in more places via the Tap and Echo Dot and now has formed a comprehensive smart home strategy that links up with e-commerce. The Echo was Amazon's surprise hit last year. Simply put, Echo has become the platform Amazon will use to jump further into the Internet of things. Echo looked like a flyer at first, but wound up being a control hub in many homes. Via developers and third party connections, the Echo served up information and connected to various home automation points.

Many prophets of information technology (IT) believe that the next big movement in their field will be the “internet of things”. This, they hope, will connect objects hitherto beyond the reach of IT’s tendrils so that, for example, your sofa can buzz your phone to tell you that you have left your wallet behind, or your refrigerator can order your groceries without you having to make a shopping list. That, though, will mean putting chips in your sofa, your wallet and your fridge to enable them to talk to the rest of the world. And those chips will need power, …

Siri, however witty her off-the-cuff remarks may be, is generally not very helpful. She often can’t understand what you’re asking her, can’t take dictation without making bizarre mistakes, and often gives the exact opposite of the information you’re after. But there’s a new voice-based assistant, called Hound, that actually might not drive you crazy, and may offer a glimpse of how we’ll control internet-connected devices in the future. SoundHound, the company behind the eponymous music-recognition app, has spent 10 years perfecting the technology that allows it to identify any piece of music.