[SystemSafety] Comment on Risks note on "Smart Power Outlets" (RISKS 29.72)

[Martyn Thomas]

On 25/08/2016 12:45, Peter Bernard Ladkin wrote:
> AlMac writes "The latest gift of The Internet of Things industry, revealed last week by
> security researchers at Bitdefender, is smart electrical sockets
> <http://motherboard.vice.com/read/smart-electrial-sockets-could-be-the-next-botnet> that can be
> hacked to hand over e-mail credentials, create a botnet,
> or (potentially) burn your house down by firing up connected appliances."
>
> Burning your house down by firing up appliances? Electrical safety standards are not perfect, but
> they have been around a long time (in Germany, about 120 years). Indeed, for about as long as mice
> have been gnawing through insulation on cables.

It's not impossible (though culpably stupid) that someone would leave a
radiant heater plugged in somewhere that could cause a fire if it was
left on for a while. The electrical protection might cut in when the
fire finally caused the cable to melt, but it would be too late ...

I expect that inventive readers of this list can find other examples.

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