Cybersecurity’s small presence at CES

An oft-repeated factoid about the Internet of Things is Cisco Systems’ estimate that 50 billion “smart” devices will be connected to the internet by 2020. It felt like all 50 billion were on display over this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, from smart pianos to connected water cups.
Yet while the tech-hungry hordes were kicking the tires on those 50 billion gizmos, the number of people concerned about the security of those devices and their effect on the greater internet was probably closer to 50.You had to duck behind one of the drone booths or ignore the troves of Alexa-connected products to find a demo or a fireside chat where security was part of the discussion. CES is never going to be RSA, but those moments in the background last week in Las Vegas at least offered glimmers of hope that someone is paying attention to the security of all of these new IP addresses.