YOUR toaster burns and the freezer spoils your food, all at the whim of a malevolent foreign power. A new kind of domestic warfare could become a reality when everyday gizmos acquire their own internet addresses so they can in theory be turned against us by cyber-attacks, aided perhaps by sabotaged microchips (see “Fighting wars in cyber space”). It is reassuring that the US plans to study these and other bizarre possibilities in the world’s first cyberwar “shooting gallery”. Alas, domestic gadgets will never again seem quite so friendly and helpful.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The monstrous number sequences that break the rules of mathematics
2
Fermat's Last Theorem: still a must-read about a 350-year maths secret
3
A whole new way to prevent death from sepsis shows promise
4
Why your opinion of used electric vehicles is probably wrong
5
Table tennis-playing robot on track to becoming world champion
6
98 per cent of meat and dairy sustainability pledges are greenwashing
7
We might finally know how to use quantum computers to boost AI
8
Electric vehicle owners could earn thousands by supporting power grid
9
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
10
Why quantum physics says there’s a multiverse
