Published on 07/30/2018 | Technology
Most of us have probably heard stories about hackers who are talented enough to control cars and change their speed remotely. Or the example about two researchers who accomplished hacking into two vehicles, remotely turned the lights off and switched the brakes on without any interaction of the driver. If we consider these examples as possible threads for privacy, they will seem ridiculously small compared to the Mirai attack in Europe and North America in 2016. The IoT devices were used to attack the Internet infrastructure, and the economic loss was worth $110 million.
All the mentioned cases were made possible by the expansion of the IoT (“Internet of Things”). The IoT, explained in the simplest way, means connecting “things” to the internet and this way letting them interact with each other. According to a Gartner forecast, the number of connected “things” may reach 20 billion by 2020 and potentially have an impact on numerous segments: retail, e-commerce, agriculture - probably every sector you can imagine may be influenced by the revolution of the IoT shortly. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?
However, despite all the excitement the IoT brings, there’s always the other side of the coin, which in this case may be the more interesting one. As the number of connected IoT devices is rapidly growing, the pace of cybersecurity threats is increasing enormously fast. Let’s dive into the foggy area where the most common dangers of the IoT gather.
Today our “things” can easily interact with each other with the help of the IoT revolution - our fridges, smartwatches, TVs and many more - you name it. That’s exciting, but the smarter our devices are, the more protection and security they need. However, safer devices are not the top priority for most of the companies. Securing devices properly is achievable; however, may increase their price two or even three times. Therefore, the reason for poor security is quite obvious - companies try to reduce the price of a gadget at the cost of its safety and privacy.
Sometimes you may think that nothing happens if your smart fridge is not secured. Who is interested in your fridge anyway? However, thoughts like that may be easily predicted by hackers, and your refrigerator or even more harmless device may be their first victim. Apparently, the most benign devices can provide a getaway to more sensitive systems. Think like a hacker and treat every device seriously.
Security doesn’t end with protecting devices. The IoT is a complex system that needs to be secured from different angles thinking about the network, service platform and application protection. Devices that interact with each other create more potential points of entry into private networks - that’s particularly beneficial for hackers. Large industry players take that into consideration, but, as the IoT is at a growth stage and is developing extremely fast, the system still lacks well-established security standards.
This issue plays a significant role in developing techniques for security protection and creates additional severe struggles. The lack of guidelines slows device manufacturers from developing advanced protection solutions since they cannot be sure if their solutions meet future standards.
While thinking about security and privacy threats, the first danger that comes to mind is probably hackers. Yes, they are a substantial headache for sure, but have you ever thought this way about corporations?
Situations when companies distribute some devices that track personal data are common. To be more clear, let’s consider one case as an example. So, a company distributes smartwatches that monitor the health of its employees and this way gets lower health insurance packages. It may seem not a big deal at first sight; however, think what else can be done with the personal information gathered. What if the company sells the data to any third party? Not the funniest story, right?
If you face any similar situation, the best you can do is read the agreement carefully while receiving the device. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to read through the policies of the device manufacturer and check what the rules about sharing data and keeping it safe are.
The IoT is developing at a breakneck pace. Ten years ago cybersecurity was mainly about computers. Then smartphones came on the market, and today there are loads of devices with possible security dangers: cars, wearables and even our home appliances. Until cybersecurity becomes more protected by device manufacturers and the IoT service companies, we ourselves are mainly responsible for the safety of our devices.
The best you can do: be conscious of your security and take care of the proper cyber hygiene yourself. Every time think twice whether there’s a necessity to connect your device. Have a smart fridge? The best you can do: be conscious of your security and take care of the proper cyber hygiene yourself. Check what features it offers - maybe you don’t need these fancy functions at all, and it’s enough to use the essential ones without connecting to the network.
Although good old firewalls are still relevant and increase the security, today it’s not enough. Experts recommend using VPN services that ensure changing your IP address and keeping your activities private. Configuring your home router to use a VPN may help you protect the devices you use. This way your home internet traffic will be protected, data will be encrypted and not exposed to others.
One more no-brainer tip - use strong passwords for every device. Don’t use the same password for all your smart things. Otherwise, you will merely make a hacker’s life way more comfortable. They will work hard on trying to get the password for a specific device and, if succeeded, they will definitely try to unlock the other ones. You will not remember all the complicated logins for sure - password manager can do it for you.
The security of the IoT should be considered more as a reason for its growth. The safer system becomes, the more people trust it and decide to integrate the IoT solutions into their everyday activities, homes or companies they work at.
However, the numbers speak for themselves: in the first half of 2017, the number of the IoT attacks exploded by 280%. So, until the IoT becomes a safer place for us to be without worrying about the cybersecurity threats, it’s important to acquire some necessary internet hygiene skills and this way make the lives of hackers more complicated. Although many services care about the security of your devices, as for now, it seems that safety and privacy is mainly a “you” problem.
