Summary: Relaying TV news and broadcasts on a video wall might sound enticing but it has its caveats.

If you’ve ever walked into a command center before, then you know that the first thing you’ll probably notice is the brilliant LCD display wall that’s outfitted with an array of monitors. These dedicated peripherals play a critical role in an organization’s risk management and response efforts while also providing support in the form of security and business continuity.

The Question

When it comes to making an effort to increase an organization’s situational awareness within the command center, video walls often display programs such as weather broadcasts, TV news, and more. With the intent of providing real-time access to mission-critical information, these video walls bring an enhanced value that’s second to none. Furthermore, if the design allows it, this nerve center can provide the team with a wide array of options. For instance, if a command center were to be constructed by a custom manufacturer depending on the industry one is in, the command center can be built around the organization’s priorities.

However, is it really beneficial for a command center to air TV on the video screen? And if so, how does it truly provide value to the team?

Social Media Overpowers TV

When it comes to the latest trend or story, more often than not, you’ll be able to get the scoop on social media. If you are relying on TV news for the latest story, you’re basically one step behind those that utilize a social media platform. It’s crucial that command center operators that are tasked with things like keeping travelers safe in a specific region stay up-to-date in a rapid fashion.

Priority-Driven

The news is often irrelevant to the work that you do within your command center. Not every channel caters to your specific industry so more often than not, you’ll be bogged down by topics that you could care less about. Even if a story is relevant, certain stations will quickly cover the topic and move on to the next story, leaving the staff spending valuable amounts of time searching for more information on their own.


More and more of the devices, appliances, and electronic items we buy have some level of internet connectivity. It is now critical to secure those devices from unwanted access or attackers. Unfortunately, in the rush to make anything and everything an Internet of Things (IoT) device, most manufacturers failed to secure them adequately. Although there are some protections in place on most devices, they are years behind even current hacking technology.

Why would anyone want to hack a home appliance in the first.? Well, it is all about information. The purpose behind common spam, ransomware, and identity theft is financial gain. If a hacker can access your wireless network and intercept information, then he has access to everything from your usernames and passwords to bank details. When it comes to home appliances, the biggest threat is access to the microphone. Amazon, Apple, Google, and other vendors are adding mics to all their devices so people can use voice commands. The flip-side to those devices is that if someone gains access, they have access to all your conversations.

Here is how to secure your smart home:

Use the latest wireless protocols available. Avoid using WEP and stick to updated devices with WPA2.

Use two wireless networks. If your equipment supports multiple SSID’s, then create one for your computers and another for other devices to keep the traffic separate.

If possible, use a firewall to secure your network from outside access. The average home will not have the knowledge use one so look around for a company that can install and maintain a firewall.


KRACK is the worst vulnerability to affect consumer and professional networking equipment in a long time. Wireless networks have various safeguards in place to protect against intrusion and what the industry calls “man in the middle” attacks. Unfortunately, there is a flaw in what the currently the most secure wireless network protocol, WPA2. Using the KRACK vulnerability that is part of the protocol, an attacker who is in physical range can fool the router and gather all the information from other devices in the network.

There are two pieces of good news. The first is that the discovery was by a security researcher and not some rogue entity. The second is that most believe that the security researcher was the first to discover the flaw and manufacturers knew in advance of the announcement. Most vendors have had time to work on fixing the vulnerability in their devices.

The bad news is that depending on the vendor of your router and other devices, updates might not be forthcoming for some time. Apple and Microsoft have updates for all their devices and if you keep your systems up to date you should have no issues.

However, most vendors will not have patches ready and even if they do it is up to the owner to download and apply the patch. The issue here is that most public Wi-FI networks will remain vulnerable for some time. Avoid using any public wireless networks to enter or transfer sensitive information.