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The other worst part of an IoT security breach
As if the obvious parts weren't bad enough.
IoT For All
May 29, 2025
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Hello readers,
Welcome to the IoT For All newsletter! This week we’re talking about viral IoT snafus, managing IoT at scale, IIoT energy management, and more!
Everyone knows the primary dangers of poorly-secured IoT devices: leaking data to bad actors, having your network swept up into a botnet, unexpected downtime, exposing essential systems to anyone and everyone. But on top of that, there’s another, perhaps underappreciated downside: It can be really embarrassing!
Last month, crossing the street in various cities across the United States was suddenly a little … different. When the voices of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and other high-profile tech founders started coming out of unassuming crosswalk buttons, it was immediately obvious someone, somewhere had messed up. Naturally, it went viral, resulting in coverage from CNN, NBC, and countless social media posts.
Whose fault is it, exactly? It can be hard to pin down. Pressed by The Seattle Times, the Seattle Department of Transportation was quick to mention needing to consult with its vendor. The Register, meanwhile, provides juicier details on what happened:
“The hacked crosswalks all appear to come from a common source: Polara, America's leading manufacturer of pedestrian signal systems. … All of it can be managed [via Bluetooth] using the Polara Field Service app, which until recently was freely available on both the Google Play and Apple App Store.”
The system was password protected, of course — with a default code of “1234” per the company’s own documentation, along with instructions to change it. Whoever you may be inclined to blame, no one comes out looking good.
Security breaches that take place entirely in the digital realm can be a great deal more serious than a prank like this. Vandalized crosswalk buttons are small potatoes compared to the potential theft of, say, every Social Security number. But because IoT brings cyberspace into the physical world, even small-scale breaches can feel more real.
But of course, there have been far more serious security failures of this ilk. You may recall when hackers triggered 156 tornado alarms in Dallas, or the rash of Ring camera hacks in 2019. These incidents very understandably erode public trust in the essential tech infrastructure they may not realize they rely on.
In the grand scheme of security snafus, some goofy crosswalk messages might not seem all that harmful, but that’s precisely what makes a story like this likely to reach a viral tipping point. And once it’s on TikTok, you can’t patch the PR problem.
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