This week is the big annual Consumer Electronic Show (CES) for 2013. Every year electronics and technology companies come to CES to highlight their new products and give us a glimpse of our electronic future.
One thing that we’re seeing at this year’s CES is a lot of exciting, innovative new technologies in the area of home automation.
Home automation has always been a hot topic when it comes to technology. Back in 1957, Disneyland in Anaheim California added their “House of the Future” exhibit to “Tomorrowland” where visitors could come and tour a house with all the conveniences that the future would hold.
That particular home of the future only lasted ten years before it was out of date and Disney closed it in 1967.
So speculation about home automation in the future isn’t a new thing. But a new thing that makes the CES home of the future different from Disneyland’s is the Internet. Home automation now isn’t just about making life easier: it’s about making life both easier and more connected.
And that adds a twist to the new home automation technologies as far as using them safely.
The important thing to remember with any Internet-connected device or technology is that if you can access the Internet, then the bad guys can access you. And so it’s important that you understand the potential risks when you evaluate Internet-connected home automation technologies.
Our new infographic “The Automated Home of Tomorrow: How Vulnerable is it to Cybercrime” outlines some of the risks our experts have identified for these Internet-connected home automation technologies (including cars).
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t use Internet-connected home automation technologies. But you should understand the risks and be ready to ask about ways to ensure these devices are protected from cybercriminals when you’re looking to make a purchase. Our hope is that this guide will help you to be able to ask those questions better so you can make better informed purchases.
I work for Trend Micro and the opinions expressed here are my own.
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