expose GPS data of famous celebrities who own those cars, to tarnish the reputation of the
employer. On the other hand, hacktivists may want to target IoT devices owned by specific
individuals who are against their political agendas, to cause disruption in services or to expose
private information that may embarrass the targets.
The architecture and design of connected devices are also bound to be of interest to tink-
erers and security researchers. It is vital for IoT manufacturers to provide a clearly advertised
process for individuals to report security issues, and often a useful policy to offer rewards to
be paid upon verification. In most cases, the cost of the reward is less than the price compa-
nies would have to pay in terms of revenue losses arising from the negative effects on their
brands and the loss of their customers’ privacy and trust.
230 CHAPTER 7: SECURE PROTOTYPING—LITTLEBITS AND CLOUDBIT