Security News Bites for the Week Ending February 15, 2019

Anybody Know What 5G Cellular Means?

5G is the next generation of cellular, promising blindingly fast service and web page loads in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really exist yet.  Yes, a few carriers have set up a few cell sites in a few cities, but there are basically NO phones that are 5G capable at this time.  Apple should launch one in 2020.

5G will also require a LOT more cell sites that don’t exist and that most people don’t want in their backyard.

What this means in reality is that 5G won’t be a factor for years and in many places – low density areas – it may never come due to the expense.  And definitely not until you buy a new phone.

But that hasn’t stopped AT&T from adding a 5G “e” to some of their phones.  AT&T is doing preemptive marketing hoping that people won’t understand that they are not getting 5G service and not getting a 5G capable phone.  But, by that time, they will be locked in.

AT&T says the “E” means evolution, whatever that means.  Other people say the “E” means eventually – just not with that phone or that cell site.

Here’s what Verizon said about it:

5Ge. It’s pretend, it’s fake, it’s the kind of BS that gives marketers, communicators businesses and the wireless industry a black eye. So let’s have some fun. Some people call it “Faux Five G”. There’s “5G Eventually”. What’s your name for @ATT false marketing?

So Sprint is suing AT&T.  AT&T says that people won’t be confused.  Sprint did a survey in which 17% of the people said that they already had this non-existent 5G service.  Stay tuned.  Source: PC Mag.

Discarded Smart Light bulbs May Be a Security Hole

Smart lightbulbs are smart because they are network connected and since most people are not going to plug a network cable into that bulb, they talk over WiFi.

Researchers took a LIFX smart bulb apart and took the circuit board out of it.  When they analyzed the board they found the WiFi password – not encrypted.

Next all of the security settings for the processor are disabled.

Finally, the company’s RSA private encryption key and root certificate are also accessible.

Given this takes a bit of work to reverse engineer, it is not likely a hacker is going to do it, but to get the company’s private encryption key, which would allow them to sign malicious code and download it wherever they want – that would be worthwhile.

Maybe they should call it a dumb lightbulb.  Source: Limited Results web site.

If You Live in the UK, be Careful Where You Click 

The UK signed into law (what they call Royal Assent) the Counter Terrorism and Border Security law this week.  This law makes it a crime to VIEW information “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.

One click.  Penalty is up to 15 years in prison.

Seems like a bit of over-reaction to me.  The UK’s special rapporteur on privacy said the law was “pushing a bit too much towards the thought crime”.  1984, we are here.  Source: The UK Register.

FTC in Negotiations with Facebook over Multi-Billion Dollar Fine

Sources have confirmed that the FTC and Facebook are negotiating over a multi-billion dollar fine over Facebook’s privacy practices.  The details have not been released and it could ultimately wind up in court if the two sides cannot agree.  If it does, get your popcorn out because it could be a humdinger.  The FTC’s investigation has been going on for about a year.  Source: Washington Post.

Gov Testing Smartphones as a Replacement for CAC Access Cards

The DoD is testing whether your smartphone can identify you as well as their current Common Access Card to get into DoD buildings and computer systems.

Your smartphone knows how you walk, how you talk, how you type.  You get the idea, but there is more.

With software on the phone, they are going to know exactly where you are at every moment of the day, where you spend your free time (maybe you have someone on the side), what web sites you visit, what bars you visit and how long you stay there.

It may work, but it may be a little bit too 1984 for me.

Using constant monitoring of the user’s behavior—including how they walk, carry the device, type and navigate on it and even how they commute to work and spend their free time—and the system will automatically and continuously verify the user’s identity, enabling them to seamlessly work on secure networks without having to plug in a card each time. Source: Nextgov .

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