Page 61 of The Smart Killer
“Did I? I’m fairly sure I got behind it.”
“Until he denied your request to monitor and have access to the data.”
“Ah,” he said, rocking his head back. “Now I see where you are going with this.” Another plume of smoke rose, creating an ephemeral veil around Stephen’s features. The fragrant aroma filled the room, mingling with the scent of coffee. “I gather you are aware of what we do at Extech?”
“Somewhat.”
“As a global cybersecurity and software resilience business, we operate across multiple sectors and technologies. One of which is the use of smart devices in businesses and homes. With the trend toward technology in homes and the increasingly complex, connected ecosystem, you can imagine it opens up a can of worms. Part of the challenge today, detective, is ensuringthe safety of the public both in terms of privacy and risk. I wish we could trust that companies keep their promises, but companies tend to overlook and do foolish things that put consumers at risk. Our job is to reduce that risk even if it means companies must recall products, like Lakeridge.”
“They have had recalls?”
“Oh, yes. They’ve seen their fair share of issues. Like many companies do if they don’t fully test their products. That’s where we come in. We conduct our own smart home experiments, outfitting a house with smart TVs, stoves, thermostats, and security systems. This has been quite effective. However, it doesn’t allow us to see long-term issues that may arise. So, we partner with companies who produce devices, and they give us access to the data.”
“Access?”
“Um. How do you explain it? You have a computer at home. Windows, or a Mac, yes?”
“I do.”
“Occasionally, from time to time, software doesn’t open. Things freeze. Errors pop up. You will often see a message saying, do you wish to report or send this to Microsoft. Some people like this, others don’t. Either way, it’s a means of seeing problems as they arise. We offer something like that. It lets us see some of those issues over a year. We allow the manufacturer to correct them, and we are transparent with the public on possible situations.”
“In your annual report.”
“Among other ways. That’s right. You see, detective—”
“Noah.”
“Noah. A common risk posed by smart home devices is hackers. Over one week alone, we saw more than 13,000 hacks and scanning attacks. During this time, we also would see hackers trying to log into the smart devices and predictusernames and passwords, sometimes thousands of requests an hour. Now, of course, most of those don’t work, but it’s those that do that concern us. Imagine someone listening in on your conversations. Knowing when you are going to be out of the house. When your child might be alone for the evening. Or worse, being able to see you through cameras inside and outside your home. Or even talk to your child through a baby monitor. That’s just scraping the tip of the iceberg. As you’ve seen from the deaths of those three families, a hacker can take over the security system, your furnace, your stove, your sprinklers, your thermostat, you name it. If it’s part of the same system, it can be accessed and controlled. Now I know Michael Taylor doesn’t want bad PR, just like we don’t. We aren’t in the business of misery, detective. We are there to help and hold businesses accountable. Unfortunately, with the increase in technology available today, there is no oversight for these situations. People want the government to pass some cybersecurity law that protects their personal data and ensures that products they buy or agree to have in their homes are protected. However, technology keeps advancing too fast and outpaces the laws. So, without us, you won’t hear about the issues until after a tragedy. For example, a mother makes the news when someone begins talking to her child through the baby monitor or speaker devices.”
“Or spying on families through cameras,” Noah added.
He pointed at him. “Exactly. All I can tell you is that Michael Taylor was opposed to providing us with access.”
“Is this a common response from companies?”
“Some. Most prefer to have us working with them. They want to know if there are any errors or vulnerabilities. They want to discover how to patch them before the user knows so they don’t have to recall their product. Many things can be fixed with a simple over-the-cloud update, an email of guidance to currentcustomers versus recalling their entire line. That’s the benefit of a company like ours.”
Noah nodded.
“Unfortunately, the government can’t monitor everyone, and some companies like Lakeridge don’t like having someone come in and talk to their team who designs the products. And so you have situations like these tragic deaths. I imagine Mr. Taylor is working overtime with his PR team to clean up this mess.” He took a sip of his coffee. “And I expect he was too willing to send you our way?”
“He was.”
Stephen smiled. “That’s because we provided Lakeridge as a case study in the last annual report. Of course, we didn’t mention their name; otherwise, they might have attempted to sue us for defamation, but he recognized the devices only his company uses. Had he given us access, many of those issues could have been resolved.”
“What was his reasoning for not letting you in?”
“That’s the funny part. He said there were no flaws. His smart homes were on the cutting edge of technology. It is designed to stop problems from happening. It is a bit like the way modern vehicles have sensors that can detect if you are going to crash into a vehicle and will brake for you. Except in the case of Lakeridge, it didn’t stop before it was too late. But Michael won’t admit that he’s at fault. His ego is too big for that.”
“And yours isn’t?” Noah asked, playing the devil’s advocate.
Stephen smiled from behind his cup. He lowered his cup, and it clinked against the saucer. His expression shifted to contemplative. “What could we hope to gain in the downfall of Lakeridge?”
“Your stock would go up,” Noah replied.
Stephen shook his head. “We are a global company, Noah. We have already achieved most of our goals and made millionsfinding vulnerabilities for large corporations. Lakeridge is confined to the town of High Peaks. I wouldn’t want to put a figure on it, but they are a speck in the ocean compared to the kind of business we do. Taking them down would be akin to a rich man stealing a child’s bag of candy. We don’t have time for such nonsense.”
“From a financial perspective. Sure. If money was the reason. However, people go to great lengths in my line of work over the strangest matters. Motivation is as varied as the colors of this world.”
