If there’s one constant in the world of commercial home automation solutions, it is that of decreasing availability and higher costs as time goes on. So too with Samsung’s SmartThings, the API of which will cease free access in October of 2026.
While this does not affect people who use the SmartThings app, any system that relies on access to this API will soon face a $4.99 per month fee for non-commercial users, with various commercial tiers also in the pipeline. While the rest of the blog post has all the elegance of the output of a ‘please generate a list of plausible excuses’ query to ChatGPT, the most likely reason is that offering free services after the sale of an Internet of Things device will never be profitable.
SmartThings was originally a 2012 Kickstarter campaign that ended up becoming successful enough that the company was bought by Samsung in 2014. Its current offerings are very much like other so-called Smart Home products, with recently support for Matter and thus interoperability with third-party devices added.
If you have SmartThings integrated with your Home Assistant installation, you are also likely affected by this change if at any point you use the API. Of course, this isn’t the first time that SmartThings customers had to scramble to fix broken infrastructure, such as when in 2021 the original hubs got discontinued.
A security researcher writing under the name tokay0 disclosed a flaw that could allow an attacker to access and control more than 600,000 deployed Shark model robot vacuums.
In this episode of the podcast, host Paul Roberts interviews Nishawn Smagh of the firm GreyNoise Intelligence about the findings of their State of the Edge report, an analysis of GreyNoise data on risks stemming from compromised edge devices such as broadband routers, VPN gateways, smart home devices and more. Shawn and Paul talk about how attackers are turning edge devices into their favorite entry point, and strategies for organizations to counter the growing risk of compromised edge devices.
The core idea behind M-26-14’s approach for addressing these advanced threats is practical. Security teams need timely access to relevant data in context.
Google announced that it helped take down NetNut, a 2 million strong malicious residential proxy network. The incident highlights the growing risks posed by residential proxy networks that quietly conscript consumer devices into services used by cybercriminals and nation-state actors alike.
Maintained by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), the NIAPC serves as a trusted catalogue of cybersecurity technologies that have been validated for use by NATO military and civilian organisations. Inclusion demonstrates that Forescout’s platform satisfies the alliance’s stringent standards for protecting classified networks while supporting operational readiness.
The recognition comes as defence organisations face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats targeting converged IT, operational technology (OT) and mission systems. As military environments become more connected, maintaining visibility across every connected device and responding quickly to threats has become a growing operational challenge.
Forescout’s platform continuously discovers and classifies managed and unmanaged assets across IT, OT, IoT and mission environments before applying Universal Zero Trust Network Access (UZTNA) principles and dynamic network segmentation to contain threats and restrict lateral movement.
The company says its agentless approach enables organisations to gain visibility across complex environments without requiring extensive network redesign or operational disruption. It also provides centralised visibility and policy enforcement across distributed networks, including support for unclassified, restricted and secret environments.
“Being included in the NIAPC marks a significant milestone for Forescout and reinforces our ability to support the most demanding defence environments worldwide,” said Barry Mainz, CEO of Forescout. “Our platform supports defence teams with a unified, real-time view of every device across IT and OT environments, enabling faster decisions, automated response to anomalies and secure operations. Following our experience in the Locked Shields exercise, we’re proud to bring proven, mission-ready capabilities to NATO and its partners.”
The announcement follows Forescout’s participation in NATO’s Locked Shields exercise, the world’s largest live-fire cyber defence exercise, where participating teams test their ability to defend critical infrastructure under simulated attack.
The company’s inclusion in the NIAPC also reflects a wider shift across defence and critical national infrastructure towards security architectures that extend beyond traditional IT estates. Modern zero trust approaches increasingly require continuous visibility across operational technology, industrial systems and connected devices to reduce blind spots and strengthen resilience.
Forescout will showcase its defence security capabilities at NATO Edge 26, which takes place in Izmir, Turkey, from 17 to 19 November.
The EU’s MSS 2 GHz proposal strengthens regulation, security, and competition, but implementation through 2027–2029 will be phased, not immediate.
Small spectrum block sizes favor IoT, messaging, emergency services; large-bandwidth applications face bottlenecks.
When the European Commission unveiled its plan late last month to reassign the 2 GHz mobile satellite service (MSS) spectrum at EU-level, it initiated more than a regulatory proposal. With the dust now settled on the announcement, it is clear that this represents a geopolitical and commercial realignment. Signals in the market suggest the framework is firming up around core principles: sovereignty, security, restricted eligibility, spectrum caps, and wholesale access. But beneath those pillars lies a battlefield of interests that will define not just who wins licenses, but which services Europe values the most – IoT or in-flight broadband, messaging or full-fledged device-to-device (D2D) connectivity.
Implementation is no longer a reactive guesswork exercise; it is becoming a long game. While the proposal’s two-year incumbency extension mitigates the cliff edge in May 2027 (when existing licenses expire), it also reveals the commission’s understanding: that legislative processes, spectrum allocation, compliance criteria, and defining “EU provider” are unlikely to be resolved by that deadline. Toward end-2027 and into 2028, observers should expect spectrum awards, provisional licenses, and a cascade of certification, rollouts, and enforcement activities stretching well into 2029. This also coincides with ITU’s WRC-27 conference, in which key spectrum allocations – including MSS – and updates to radio regulations are expected to be finalized and will offer clarity on the international trajectory of spectrum allocations for MSS.
Commercial implications are now emerging with greater clarity. The planned 30 MHz paired allocation in 5 + 5 MHz blocks is modest; sufficient for low-bandwidth IoT, messaging, and emergency services, yet wholly inadequate for high-throughput, low-latency use cases such as in-flight broadband or widespread D2D applications. Telcos and satellite operators should be preparing for trade-offs: either focus on niche verticals where limited spectrum suffices, or scale via partnerships, capacity leasing, or wholesale models. The missing “IoT reservation” is not a bug; rather, it is a structural risk: IoT may get parceled out only where extra capacity exists, and only if stakeholders ensure selection criteria explicitly to protect it. D2D has won primacy as per the initial tone of the Commission in its press release.
Definitions will matter, especially in the case of the term “EU Provider,” which is morphing into a fulcrum for competition. The 2 GHz is currently occupied by two US firms: Viasat for European inflight connectivity, and EchoStar for IoT and mobile connectivity. Post-May 2027, such entities will need to operate through European-owned subsidiaries or JVs. AST SpaceMobile has already localized itself via Satellite Connect Europe and is expected to qualify. But expectation of strict control over decision-making, governance, and spectrum transfer will push non-EU-based providers – SpaceX (which owns EchoStar spectrum), Viasat, and Amazon Leo – to engineer complex JV structures or seek regulatory exemption. In the case of the latter, GlobalData expects both litigation and political pressure from incumbents based in the US, particularly via the US government or trade bodies, and especially within the incumbent Trump administration window. Retaliation against European satcos is also a possibility, though it is unlikely that the bloc will collectively budge.
For telcos, the strategic moment is now. Whether to bid directly, partner with incumbents, or secure wholesale access depends on scale, access to capital, regulatory risk appetite, and technical readiness. Device certification, security compliance, antenna deployment, and supply chain capacity remain gating factors. By late-2028, the winners will be those who have not only secured licenses or partnerships, but who align with the EU’s overriding narrative: resilience, sovereignty, and competition.
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