Thread: Security on automated home

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Posts
    81

    Security on automated home

    Picture an automated home. This house can perform many functions such as turning on lights, appliances, and your A/C all from a remote location. You can hear your e-mail, the news, the weather, etc by asking for it through a PC microphone or a telephone. You have all kind of timers for various things like sprinklers for example. Outside and inside motion detectors cause various systems to respond. Obviously it has a security alarm... Etc, etc... you get the picture....

    This house is either PC or Web controlled, so there are security risks. Someone can break into your system and cause havoc. I don't know, something like starting the fireplace or the stove and setting it on high could cause your house to burn down. Or turning off the heat in sub zero temperatures could cause the pipes to freeze. These are extreme cases. But some annoyances could occur as well such as turning on your home entertainment system full blast at 3 in the morning while your asleep or turning on the outdoors lights every 5 minutes for nothing making you think that someone is at your front porch. Again I think you get the idea...

    What I want to know is if someone is to attack such a system, how would they go about it? At what layer of the system (application, utilities, OS) would the attack take place? How would you go about protecting such a home? What kind of security model would you use?

    I don't want any scripts or code, I just want the thinking process as I have to design a whole set of security policies. And if you have other ideas about attacks, throw them my way.... attack ideas would be helpful in designing security measures.

    As security measures I'm thinking of authentication, role based access control, cryptography, intrusion detection, and the like, but I want to have others opinions so that I can create a well rounded project.

    If anyone has any insights on my question I will truly appreciate your comments.

    Thanks and happy trails!!!
    "Our greatest glory consists not in never failing,
    but in rising every time we fall."

    Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774).
    Anglo-Irish writer, poet and playwright.

  2. #2
    Set Apart -- jrahhali's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    256
    Wowee, how long did it take you to think of this? lol, i'm not knocking your post or anything, it's just a bit funny. Pardon my non-commentry on your actual question. ( i have no clue about this kind of thing) but I like the post though

    or turning on the outdoors lights every 5 minutes for nothing making you think that someone is at your front porch
    Now that would be freaky =S
    Clear the mines from our Shazbot!
    Get the enemy Shazbot!

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Posts
    81
    it's a for my Data Security final (project), so I'm trying to be creative!!
    "Our greatest glory consists not in never failing,
    but in rising every time we fall."

    Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774).
    Anglo-Irish writer, poet and playwright.

  4. #4
    zsaniK Kinasz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    222
    are the taps automated?
    "Assumptions are the mother of all **** ups!"

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Posts
    81
    No, not if you mean the water taps, but you can warm your hot tub for 7:00 at the temperature you like.
    "Our greatest glory consists not in never failing,
    but in rising every time we fall."

    Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774).
    Anglo-Irish writer, poet and playwright.

Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed

Similar Threads

  1. Problem in accessing root home folder....
    By Bargi in forum Linux Programming
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-13-2008, 05:50 AM
  2. Sockets, multi home, multicast, security, complicated issue
    By ekymk in forum Networking/Device Communication
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 08-13-2004, 02:12 AM
  3. Painfully true but funny...
    By shaik786 in forum A Brief History of Cprogramming.com
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 04-01-2003, 03:39 PM