Teenager hacks drone to prove cyber attack risk

At a security conference in Cape Town South Africa, 13-year-old Reuben Paul demonstrated that in less than 10 minutes he could disconnect a user from his drone and then take complete control of it. The seventh-grader was exposing the gaping holes in the security of millions of every day devices such as drones, baby monitors, smart appliances, smart home devices and toys that are connected to the Internet. This Internet of Things is growing to include cars and other systems critical to our safety.

Class discussion: Do you use any devices that are connected to the Internet? Can you control a gadget or camera with your cell phone? Are you willing to bet your life on the security of the Internet of Things? Why don’t the companies building these devices do a more to make them secure? Are are they just avoiding spending money on security? Are they rushing to get products on the market? Should companies and executives be held responsible for security problems? What if someone is killed by a hacked device?