March 31, 2015

    The World of Cyber-Physical Systems & Rising Cyber-Kinetic Risks

    We live in a world in which the way we observe and control it is radically changing. Increasingly, we interact…
    March 20, 2019

    Cyber-Kinetic Security and Privacy Threats in Smart Cities

    More than half of the world’s population lives in cities. The UN estimates that by 2050 that proportion will be…
    March 23, 2019

    5G Security & Privacy Challenges

    Don’t let the “5G” in the title confuse you. This post is not only about the telcos’ core networks, but…
    April 9, 2019

    5G Critical Infrastructure – the Most Critical of All

    Not even 30 years separate us from the end of the Cold War. Yet, we appear to be witnessing the…
    April 30, 2018

    IEMI – Threat of Intentional Electromagnetic Interference

    As our cities, our transportation, our energy and manufacturing – our everything – increasingly embrace Internet of Things (IoT) and…
    November 18, 2017

    Whispering Buildings and Things That Listen to Us in the Night

    How important privacy is for building smart cities and embracing the IoT In the 60s cartoon The Jetsons, the family…
    January 2, 2018

    Navigating a Safe Course Through Maritime Cyberattacks

    The open seas have long attracted those who yearned for adventure. The risk of pitting oneself against a vast and…
    November 4, 2019

    The Quantum Computing Threat

    Recently, in the science journal Nature, Google claimed ‘quantum supremacy’ saying that its quantum computer is the first to perform…
    November 17, 2022

    Can we afford to keep ignoring Open RAN security?

    I’m skeptical of ‘futurists’. Work closely enough with the development of technology solutions and you’ll know that the only certain…
    September 27, 2020

    Cybersecurity and Safety in the 5G-Enabled Smart-Everything World

    Neil Harbisson calls himself a cyborg. Without the antenna implanted in his skull, he would not be able to see…
    March 1, 2019

    Importance of Privacy for Smart Cities and IoT

    From The Jetsons to Blade Runner, to Back to the Future, to A.I. to The 5th Element, popular culture has…
    January 11, 2018

    Stuxnet and the Birth of Cyber-Kinetic Weapons

    Stuxnet was the first true cyber-kinetic weapon, designed to cripple the Iranian – and perhaps also the North Korean –…
    August 30, 2023

    Is 5G security being sacrificed at the altar of profit, politics and process?

    Homo sapiens is an incredibly adaptable species, arguably the most adaptable ever. But it is also a forgetful one, quick…
    • Cyber-Kinetic Security NFC Cybersecurity

      NFC Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)

      NFC is a short range two-way wireless communication technology that enables simple and secure communication between electronic devices embedded with NFC microchip. NFC technology operates in 13.56 megahertz and supports 106, 212, or 424 Kbps throughput. There are three available modes of NFC communication: Read/write (e.g. for reading tags in NFC posters) Card emulation (e.g. for making payments) Peer-to-peer (e.g. for file transfers) There is no need for pairing code between devices, because once in range they instantly…

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    • Cyber-Kinetic Security RFID Cybersecurity

      RFID Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)

      Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology commonly used for identification, status administration and management of different objects. It is important for people identification, as it is commonly deployed in the latest biometric passports.  It operates in several frequency bands like Low frequency band from 125 kHz to 134 kHz, High frequency band with 13.56MHz working frequency, Ultra-high frequency band with 433 MHz working frequency and 860 – 960 MHz sub-band. In Ultra-high frequency bands there are…

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    • 5G & AI AI and 5G Double-edged Sword

      AI and 5G: AI at the 5G Core – A Double-Edged Sword

      If you’ve ever been to an expensive restaurant and ordered a familiar dish like, say, lasagna, but received a plate with five different elements arranged in a way that does not at all resemble what you know as lasagna, then you have probably tasted deconstructionism. This approach to cuisine aims to challenge the way our brain makes associations, to break existing patterns of interpretation and, in so doing, to release unrealized potential. If the different…

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    • Cyber-Kinetic Security Wi-Fi Cybersecurity

      Wi-Fi Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)

      The Wi-Fi represents wireless technology that includes the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, etc.). Within 50m range, it operates in 2.4 GHz and 5GHz frequency bands,. This technology was developed for wireless networking of computer devices and is commonly called WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), where the communication is realized between wireless routers typically connected to the Internet and other wireless nodes within its range.…

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    • Cyber-Kinetic Security Bluetooth Cybersecurity

      Bluetooth Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)

      Bluetooth is short-range wireless communications technology based on the IEEE 802.15.1 protocol. It works in a crowded license free 2.4 GHz frequency band and shares this resource with many other technologies. Bluetooth is the optimal solution for establishing small wireless networks called Piconets, by connecting two Bluetooth devices. One of these nodes is Master that can be connected via Bluetooth link to 7 other Bluetooth devices—Slave nodes in Personal Area Network (PAN). Typical data rates…

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    • Cyber-Kinetic Security Zigbee Security

      Zigbee Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)

      Zigbee technology introduction Zigbee is wireless PAN (Personal Area Network) technology developed to support automation, machine-to-machine communication, remote control and monitoring of IoT devices. It evolved from IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard and supported by the ZigBee Alliance. IEEE 802.15.4 standard determines specifications for the physical and data link layer and Zigbee Alliance provides standards from network layer to application layer. While Zigbee determines the contents of the transmitted message, the 802.15.4 standard provides details about…

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    • Cyber-Kinetic Security LoRaWAN IoT Security

      LoRaWAN Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)

      I get accused of focusing too much on 5G as the only future IoT connectivity option. I do write a lot about how 5G will revolutionize our society, become the most critical of critical infrastructures and about security threats with 5G. I see 5G, with its low latency, high bandwidth, network slicing and ubiquitous coverage becoming the foundational capability for mission critical industrial, agricultural, financial, medical, education, energy and transportation, even military and emergency services…

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    • 5G & AI AI and 5G

      Digital Double Helix: Why the Fates of 5G and AI are Intertwined

      In 2013, George F. Young and colleagues completed a fascinating study into the science behind starling murmurations. These breathtaking displays of thousands – sometimes hundreds of thousands – of birds in a single flock swooping and diving around each other, look from a distance like a single organism organically shape-shifting before the viewer’s eyes. In their research article, Young et al reference the starling’s remarkable ability to “maintain cohesion as a group in highly uncertain…

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    • 5G Security 5G Critical Infrastructure

      5G Critical Infrastructure – the Most Critical of All

      Not even 30 years separate us from the end of the Cold War. Yet, we appear to be witnessing the emergence of a new one, a technology Cold War between the United States and China. This time, instead of a ‘red under the bed’, the US government has declared there is one at the back door. It accuses Chinese technology companies of deliberately building vulnerabilities into their tech, allowing the Chinese to access and control…

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    • 5G & Massive IoT Business US vs China 5G

      Geopolitics of 5G and 5G-Connected Massive & Critical IoT

      Emerging Technology and Geopolitics of 5G There are several reasons emerging technology is a highly competitive industry, notwithstanding the race for intellectual property that can be licensed by burgeoning markets for revenue. A first-mover advantage is often a way to lock in relationships that can lead to long-term infrastructure commitments, integration support services, and service delivery platform development. As the adage goes, “Whoever owns the platform, owns the customer.” This race to be the first…

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