The Internet of Things will bring many benefits, but it's also creating a security nightmare for which few are prepared.
The horror stories have already started.
The baby monitors transmitting a live feed onto the internet for all to see -- and the smart teddy bear that could be hijacked. The car that allows hackers to take control of systems remotely. The power grid knocked offline by attackers accessing industrial control systems.
The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) will bring with it huge benefits to businesses and consumers, but right now it is also creating a security nightmare.
"There isn't any category of devices that has not been hacked to some degree: we're talking anything from lightbulbs to nuclear power stations. As soon as you connect something to the internet then it's hackable and it's a target," says Duncan Brown, research director at analyst firm IDC.
As sensors and connectivity have become cheaper, it has become more viable to add them to a far wider range of devices than ever before. So the 'things' in the IoT can range from consumer goods like baby monitors, thermostats and cars through to industrial systems.
There are plenty of good reasons to connect such devices to the internet: a connected thermostat allows you to warm up the house before you get home, while a factory could reduce downtime if sensors warn that a critical machine is about to overheat.
The number of things being attached to the internet is vast: one estimate is that there will be 6.4 billion connected things in use worldwide in 2016, with more than five million new devices being added every day. That number could reach 20 billion (or 40, or 50 billion, depending on who you are talking to) by 2020.
But connecting them also introduces new risks. For consumers there is a risk to privacy as these devices will record vast amounts of data about their daily lives that could be pieced together to create a deeply intimate portrait of their existence. For businesses, each of these new devices is a potential gateway into their network for hackers to exploit, and potentially allow them access to not just data but also the controls to physical systems where they could do real damage...
Read more: Internet of Things: Finding a way out of the security nightmare | ZDNet
There are plenty of good reasons to connect such devices to the internet?
Just say no!
I don't need a machine to make my coffee for me.
Nor to unlock my doors remotely.
Nor to warm up my house before I get home.
Nor to tell me I'm running low on bread and milk.
I don't need solutions to problems that don't exist.
I have eyes and hands.
I'm in wonderment of how mankind made it this long without IoT.
Some how I made it 70 years without IoT.
The only reason for IoT is because we can. Not what we need or want.
Many complain about Microsoft, Google, or government agencies snooping on them and then invite the rest of the world into their world by using IoT.
No one needs an Internet connected refrigerator, but they make them!
I don't get it. I really don't.
I can see a few things that might benefit from being connected to the Internet. Like maybe a water sensor to tweet you if your basement is flooding, or a thermostat to tell you that your house is getting cold enough for the pipes to freeze. But an IoT baby monitor? A refrigerator? There's even an Internet connected Barbie doll these days.
What the heck do we need that stuff connected for? A total waste of time and resources if you ask me.
I agree with others completely. Have we lost the ability to think, reason, act, etc without having to be reminded the beer isn't quite cold enough in the fridge or have the lights/heaters/whatever turned on prior to getting home?? WTF!! Like Layback, I got to my mid 70's without all this crap and don't see any need for it. Kids today mostly can't change a car tyre or fix mechanical things so what are we doing? Rearing bloody robots too lazy to flick a switch?? Grrrrrrrrr
I think it's just the "latest thing," lets see how many things we can hook up to the net. Case & point, Britta water filters (the portable ones you fill with water & keep in the fridge) are now wi fi connected and automatically order replacement filters when needed.
This Wi-Fi-Connected Water Pitcher Automatically Orders New Filters | Mental FlossWhen it gets close to the 40 gallon mark, the smart device places an order for new filters through your Amazon account, and the delivery arrives at your home—without you having to lift a finger.
We already have wi fi fridges that monitor traffic patterns & adjust accordingly, and keep track of how many times/when/how long the doors are opened. As proven by hackers recently, someone could analyze the patterns of the fridge and find the optimum times when everyone is out of the house on a regular basis.
What a strange & weird world we live in where your fridge can now be an accessory to burglary.
Here's a local news stations report, article with a 2:50 video. Pay close attention at 1:17 in, it describes a site out there that hacks your IoT and charges a fee to subscribe and watch:
Home video surveillance cameras are an extra set of eyes to watch your property, but the security systems also post a very serious risk.
Since many home surveillance systems connect to smartphones through the Internet, someone else could be watching your home – and you would never know it.
“They’re putting themselves out there for anyone to log into and view their activity online,” said John Sancenito, president of the Harrisburg-based security firm INA.
Sancenito showed ABC27 News how real the threat is. We were able to go online and watch live video feeds. We saw a people at work and a man on his computer at home.
Source: http://Who’s watching you? Home security cameras pose snooping risk | abc27.com/2016/03/02
Thanks Borg and Steve.
That is exactly what I have been trying to tell a few friends around my area.
They want or except IoT and don't want to spend the time learning how to make it safer.
They are all 40 years old or more so I know they can live without IoT and live quite well.
They don't want to learn and I'm positive they no longer want me to mention it any more.
So it's down to the old live and learn for them.
You're welcome Jack. Try not to be too condescending when they come back and ask "How could this happen?"
My wife's niece asked me awhile ago if I would look at her laptop that; "Isn't running right", first thing I did was put electrical tape over the cam above the display, and then disabled the mike. I got it running again and never did take the tape off until she asked me about it and I explained why it was there.
She treats it better now, but up until then, she had no idea...
Me condescending? Na
I will just look at them and smile in a lay back way.
My brand new Bunn coffee pot has two switches. On switch and a hot plate switch.
I have to rough it and make sure I don't run out of coffee or filters.
It's a tough task but someone has to do it.
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