What is the Z-Wave protocol?

Z-Wave-Technology

EE World – Smart homes need wireless connectivity, and Z-wave has emerged as the ultimate solution for home automation. The Z-wave protocol is a wireless, radio frequency protocol designed primarily for smart home networks. All the existing wireless communication protocols had one or the other problem. Bluetooth and Zigbee often shortfall of range while Wi-Fi poses its own limitations in a low-power ecosystem. Interoperability has been another major issue as popular wireless standards have different protocols and implementations for different applications. No one solution could cater to the requirements of an automated home. Z-wave is, now, the solution for all those lingering issues.

Z-wave devices are interoperable and can be easily accessed through the internet or a Z-wave gateway. With a range of around 40 meters, a Z-wave network limited to four hops can connect at most 232 devices. Irrespective of their make or application, all devices can have simultaneous two-way communication over the Z-wave network secured using AES. With sufficient range, optimum data speed, AES security, low-power wireless solution, and interoperable protocol, Z-wave is just perfect for home automation. There are now thousands of Z-wave products in the market, serving as intelligent devices for smart home ecosystems.

READ MORE….

Protecting the Industrial Cloud from Cyberattacks

Cybersecurity-Protection

EE Times – The cloud and edge computing have come to the industrial world and they’re here to stay. Whether one thinks that’s a good or bad thing, it’s now inevitable.

These shifts have been accelerated by the enormous expansion in remote workers due to Covid-19 and their many unmanaged or insecurely managed devices, along with the connection of millions more imperfectly managed devices via the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

While the expansion of cloud services can help solve some cybersecurity problems for industrial companies, including the vastly expanded attack surface caused by remote workers, it also spawns new security problems.

The steady corporate shift to the cloud, data traversing “hostile territory” and the proliferation of networked devices are creating a growing list of data security challenges. We take an in-depth look at the risks and possible solutions in our upcoming Cyber Security Special Project.

In multiple reports from different parts of the cybersecurity industry, data breaches continue to be the top concern in many industries, and flaws in identity and access management (IAM) practices continue to rate among the top avenues for those data breaches.

READ MORE….

Why The Healthcare Sector Must Demand Real Cybersecurity Change

Cyber-threats-to-healthcare

Forbes – Managing Director of Technology at Health2047 with a comprehensive understanding of the digital transformation of health care IT. We should be outraged and deserve better. 

In late October of this year, a joint cybersecurity advisory from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warned of an uptick in ransomware activity targeting the healthcare and public health (HPH) sector, specifically hospitals and healthcare providers.

The advisory came just over a month after reports out of Germany documented the first patient death directly tied to a hospital ransomware attack. That’s right: The healthcare cybersecurity situation has now become a matter of life and death.

Healthcare cybercrime such as ransomware is especially egregious during a pandemic, as illustrated by Bitdefender data (via Security Boulevard). But it is now sadly all too commonplace. Also far too commonplace is the seeming inattention and inaction in the face of rising threats.

READ MORE….

What Makes 5G So Fast? – (All About Circuits)

Telecommunications-Speeds

(All About Circuits) – With 5G rolling out more quickly as we approach 2021, it may be helpful to touch on the key technologies that make 5G such a speedy success.

In a recent article, we discussed the basics of 5G technology—a discussion that is no longer in the realm of the hypothetical with 5G now being deployed in practice. One of the key talking points of 5G, at least from the consumer perspective, is its blazing-fast speeds. But what exactly makes 5G so fast? 

While the hardware-level details of 5G speed are extensive, this article will briefly discuss the basic building blocks that bump 5G speeds from 4G and LTE rates. 

As the name suggests, the 5G new radio (NR) requires a new kind of radio technology, antenna, and carrier tower design to achieve speeds of one gigabit per second with latency less than 10 milliseconds. The actual performance would depend on the design of the 5G products and the environment in which they operate.

READ MORE….

Cybersecurity Considerations for Power Substation SCADA Systems Using IEC-61850 Communications

Electrical-Substation
When including security controls into a SCADA system design, it is sometimes difficult to separate design
goals from security requirements. The foremost goal for a SCADA system is to provide protection,
automation, and data acquisition. This paper discusses major
vulnerabilities and cybersecurity considerations that require proper analysis when designing and
implementing a secure IEC-61850 standard-based SCADA system within a power substation. 
Click here to continue reading….