The Internet of Things--An Introduction

The Internet of Things is growing, and it is bringing a swath of security issues along with it. Basically, the IoT is the term used to describe the growing number of devices connected to the Internet that are not (or were not) identified as computers by the general public. These devices include ovens, watches, lighting, keypads, voice controllers, and even fire alarm batteries (a sampling of the list found here at the time of authorship.) Vehicles are even part of the IoT. This rapidly growing arena of technology is significant--especially from a security standpoint.

 Consider some recent IoT hacks:

• Hello Barbie: So Barbie has collided with Siri; she can talk, remember past conversations, and now has a sense of 'realness' to her. From a security perspective, she is connected by WiFi to the Internet, and much of her data (including past conversations) is stored in the cloud. What is troubling about Hello Barbie is that at least one researcher has demonstrated the possibility of breaking into Barbie and accessing sensitive data, such as home WiFi information. He predicted that it would be possible to access past conversations and make Barbie say whatever one wanted her to say.
• Billboard lighting: An app called SmartLink, used to remotely control billboard lights, was recently found to have numerous security issues. One could circumvent the authorization part of the app, control the lighting, and access a large chunk of customer data to boot. This is compounded by the fact that most billboard customers are companies, which are groups that can't really afford to lose sensitive data.
• Jeep Cherokee: This is my favorite example. Two researchers spent over a year analyzing the Jeep Cherokee, and the result was that they could remotely control the transmission, brakes, windshield wipers, radio, and other features of the vehicle from 10 miles away. The ramifications of such a penetration are hair-raising, to say the least.

Fascinating, eh?

The list above demonstrates something about the Internet of Things: It has security issues just like the "regular" computers connected to the Internet. As the IoT grows, the possibility of cyber crime and the risk to the security of the information on the IoT grows as well. A few years ago, hackers didn't consider billboard lighting when they wanted to penetrate a business' information network. Now, such points of access are important considerations and issues to address. Thus, the IoT is an important consideration in the field of security, a consideration I hope to post more on in the days to come.