Planes, Trains and Automobiles: The Internet of Very Big Things

11:50-12:20, Conference Room 1 ("Lightning")

When we talk about the Internet of Things, most people think of things like smart lightbulbs, smart TVs and smart doorbells. But the IoT has some much larger things than that in it. There are huge interconnected systems dedicated to making sure that airplanes know where they are, and container ships don’t accidentally catch fire.

Are cars just “smartphones with a ton of metal attached”? How do the signs on the London Underground know when the next train is arriving? And how do modern-day pirates use spearphishing to help them snare their targets on the high seas?

In this talk we’ll go through the convoluted histories and complicated architectures of the systems that run the vehicles that our modern world depends on. We’ll talk about how they actually helped to lay the foundations of the connected infrastructure we call the “internet of Things”. We’ll look at the consequences of technical debt and cybersecurity vulnerabilities when you’re dealing with And we’ll find out how these systems impact our daily lives without us ever being aware of it.