Tridium’s driving technology, 4 million lines of software code called the Niagara Framework, is a marvel of innovation. With the click of a mouse, Niagara enables plant managers to view video streams, high-rise superintendents to operate air conditioners and elevators, security officials to track personnel inside U.S. military facilities, and nurses to monitor medical devices in hospitals.

At least 11 million devices and machines in 52 countries, including security and surveillance systems in homes, have been linked to the Internet through Niagara, most of them in the past two years. But behind that success is a looming threat: an unknown number of Niagara-run networks are vulnerable to attacks from hackers, an examination by The Washington Post has found…

Some Defense Department facilities in the United States also depend on Niagara. T hat includes the giant Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania, which uses Niagara to control boilers. Some military installations use Niagara to provide surveillance and access control at “high security” facilities, said Marc Petock, Tridium’s vice president for global marketing and communications.