Article: Belam, Martin. “Joe Biden's Peloton Bike May Pose Cybersecurity Risk, Experts Warn.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, January 21, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/21/joe-biden-peloton-fitness-bike-cybersecurity-risk/
This article gives an overview of the cyber security challenges posed by Joe Biden's Peloton bike (Jill Biden has one too but hers isn't mentioned). For those that aren't aware, Pelotons are fancy exercise bikes that allow users to join virtual bike groups and communicate with "fellow" bikers over cameras and video systems. As mentioned in the article, the camera and microphone in the Peloton bike represent security issues due to the chance of someone hacking the bikes and seeing or hearing something they weren't supposed to. According to a computer security expert quoted in the article, the only way to make the bike totally secure would be removing the internet adapter, camera, and microphone. Apparently, this is what they did for Michelle Obama's Peloton during the Obama administration.
Although this is kind of a frivolous article, it does provide a chance to discuss the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things consists of objects other than phones and computers that are connected with to the internet. It includes thermostats, light bulbs, and, as indicated in the article, Peloton bikes. According to page 10 of the text book, Internet of Things devices increase the risk of cyber intrusion because they all have IP addresses and infiltrating one of the devices allows hackers to steal data (1).
A 2016 report from VICE about the Philips Hue lightbulb demonstrates the potential dangers of having a smart device hacked. As discussed in the article, computer science PhD students at two different universities decided to test to see whether the smart lightbulbs were vulnerable to hacking. The pairing method used by the lightbulbs is supposed to only allow them to pair with other lightbulbs within 30 cm. Unfortunately, the programmers of the software running the lightbulbs left in a bug and they were actually pairable as far as 400 meters away - which was the range of the wireless standard used in the lightbulbs. Using this exploit, the PhD students were able to take control of lightbulbs in a home while driving by.
They hypothesized that this exploit could be used to harass people living in homes with the lights or cause epileptic seizures. Additionally, one of the PhD students was able to infiltrate private networks using the exploit. They warned that it might be possible to automate the infiltration process using a worm and potentially take large quantities of lights at once (2).
The White House security professionals' concern about Biden's Peloton and the hacking of the Philips Hue lightbulbs demonstrate that although Internet of Things devices are popular with consumers, they can pose security issues due to inadequate security protocols.
(1) David Kim and Michael Solomon, Fundamentals of Information Systems Security (Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2018), 10.
(2) Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, “Afraid of the Dark? Too Bad, Your Smart Bulbs Can Be Hacked,” VICE (Vice Media Group, August 5, 2016), https://www.vice.com/en/article/d7yxxw/hackers-could-take-control-of-your-smart-light-bulbs-and-cause-a-blackout/.
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