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If there's a vulnerability in any of the software or firmware that connects and interfaces with anything over a network, there's the possibility of something wo

If there's a vulnerability in any of the software or firmware that connects and interfaces with anything over a network, there's the possibility of something worming it's way in or out of it. For something intermittently used like a game box that might not matter. For IoT-focused hardware that is connected to the internet continuously by design where, say, a malformed TCP packet could cause a buffer overflow in the network stack that wiggles it's way into root code execution by chaining through a bunch of unpatched vulnerabilities on a "never updated again" system? That's a problem.

kristopolous 3y ago
Network updates are an amazing trainwreck. No matter how elegant you seem to be, you'll always be running like half a dozen versions in the wild. For any large deployment that kind of work will be on your shoulders anyways. Stuffing in security updates or whatever to that isn't crazy Unless you're saying you want multichannel overlapping upgrade schedules where you have some NxM cadence matrix to test and support (as in ssh x+/-{1,2,3} AND your software x+/-{1,2,3} etc). I've had to make and manage automated test rigs for those types of deployment as well. That's an entire room full of whatever machines your deploying and a full time job. Anyways, this stuff is hard for the out in the wild devices. Putting security updates in a monolithic release package is really the easier way to go and at that point it's on you.