By David Black
“The Internet of Things” (IoT) is not a term that has been around very long. In fact, it was first coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton and has become a hot topic in the technology industry ever since — and predominantly so in 2018.
According to reports from We Are Social and Hootsuite, there are more than 4 billion users (half of the world’s population) around the globe who are connected to the Internet. In terms of growth, the Internet in general only knows one direction — up. The IoT is going to help push the Internet as we know it further in that direction.
So, what the heck is the Internet of Things?
We utilize a lot of smart devices these days. Each of those devices connects to the Internet and is constantly sending and receiving data. The IoT is the concept of being able to connect any device that is capable to the Internet or to each other. This includes computers, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, heating/ventilation controls, lamps, televisions, washers and dryers, headphones, video game consoles, vehicles, machinery — and the list goes on and on. Over 15 billion devices have already been digitally networked via the web. According to Cisco, they expect over 50 billion devices to be connected by 2020 with an estimated number of 1.5 trillion networkable objects.
The ability to connect all our devices to the Internet helps a lot of us with our day-to-day activities and it allows those devices to share information with each other as well. Why buy a regular watch when you can buy a watch that tracks your steps, sends and receives email and stores your favorite playlist to stream to your Bluetooth headphones while you’re running on the treadmill?
Whether you’re using these devices to better track your fitness and health, for business or because you always forget to buy milk when you’re at the store and having your fridge remind you is the best option to avoid repeat trips, being connected through our devices has helped improve our quality of life and make us more efficient.
But how safe is all this data and information about you if it is being shared across multiple devices?
Cyber threats from those pesky hackers are not the only adversary you should be concerned with. Businesses are capitalizing by monetizing our data captured from the devices we have allowed to do our bidding online. Does this mean we should revolt and smash our IoT devices in defiance of the “man” for force-feeding us on the idea that if every facet of our lives isn’t connected or networked, we are behind the times? The answer is “no” — although it would make for a great story to tell our grandchildren about some-day.
Some of the best ways to improve security with your favorite must-have IoT devices are:
• Read the fine print. Understand the terms of agreement before purchasing a device or connecting it to your network. Find out the manufacturer’s policy for storing or sharing your data.
• Ensure that your device is supported and is continuously being updated. Cheaper, unknown brands are more likely to not be fully supported or provide few, if any, patches to resolve vulnerabilities.
• Keep your networks segmented. If you must have IoT devices, separate them from the networks with sensitive or critical information.
• Choose a better password than “password” or “1-2-3-4-5”. Create passwords that would be difficult to crack. As a guideline, use a minimum of eight or more characters that are non-dictionary words. Include lowercase and uppercase letters along with numbers and symbols, as permitted.Use a different password for each device or application.
Thankfully, there is a wide range of operating systems, platforms and programming languages used in the development of IoT devices, which makes the development of malware attacks a single point-focused effort and not applicable to all devices. Over time, as IoT continues to grow, security will become more stringent in terms of protection on these devices. Due diligence and effort on your part as a consumer will go a long way to ensure your information and data is protected.
David Black is the director of business development for Wasatch I.T., a Utah provider of outsourced IT services for small and medium-sized businesses.