For anyone in the IT business, and indeed many of us outside of the industry, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been a big topic of discussion for a number of years, but has sunk into the background.
One of the reasons the Internet of Things garners so much attention, is because it is fundamental to the way much of our technology works in this hyper-connected world. Simply put, today’s digital landscape would not be the same without the IoT.
But as with most online infrastructures, there are various cyber threats that target the people, software and hardware, that are intrinsically connected – leading many to start describing the IoT as the ‘Internet of Vulnerable Things’.
So, in this blog, we’ll give a quick rundown of what the IoT is before checking out some of the cyber security weaknesses it can throw up for its users.
What is the Internet of Things?
Simply put, the Internet of Things is a word to describe all of the hardware, devices and systems that are connected by the internet or to each other, which do not normally interact with humans. They are the background devices which control the fridge, the TV, heating or car by feeding information via the internet to provide some form of service. Be it letting a garage or manufacturer of a pending fault on your car, or your fridge reporting back its efficiency. Your smart meter for example, reports back the amount of energy you have used, but also the times when your energy uses peaks. These are all connected via the internet.
Crucially, almost everything on the Internet of Things will share data with other devices or services, and where data is shared, there’s an opportunity for cyber criminals to steal it.
That brings us nicely onto the Internet of Vulnerable Things…
What is the Internet of Vulnerable Things?
The Internet of Vulnerable Things is a (fairly) tongue in cheek term that describes the Internet of Things as being full of vulnerable devices that can be easily tapped into by hackers and fraudsters. With millions of bytes of data shared every second, the potential for cyber-crime is enormous.
Here are just a few examples of the vulnerabilities in the Internet of Things:
Data
Many IoT devices out there collect data, as we’ve seen, but not all are honest about what data they’re collecting. More reputable companies will include this information in the privacy policy, but others will simply not mention data privacy, and some will just outright lie. In any case, data security is essential to prevent your information being sold on to nefarious parties.
Hacking
Because of the nature of the ‘things’ part of the Internet of Things, there are a lot of devices out there that can be manipulated by hackers and criminals. As mentioned before a lot of these devices are not regularly accessed by humans, so are not monitored or sometimes even updated. You have probably seen the advice to change the default password on your broadband router, but what about other devices? Do you know how strong the password on your heating controller is? Did you even know it has a password!! A lack of proper security on devices can become a serious issue for everyone concerned, particularly when it comes to the next point…
Network infiltration
Because devices on the Internet of Things are often part of a home network, a single vulnerable device on that network can serve as an open door. Within your home you will have laptops, phones and tablets connected to the internet, but also an Alexa/Google Nest/TV/Thermostat/home security and all the devices mentioned previously. If cyber criminals can infiltrate that weak point, it frees them up to attack all the other elements in the network – often without you realizing there is a problem, which in turn makes all of the data on those entries vulnerable.
The lesson that the Internet of Vulnerable things teaches us, is that no matter what devices you have connected to your network, there will be a weak link, which could threaten other devices that you think are protected. Having the right cyber security defenses at every level is paramount.
To find out how we can help you turn your ‘Internet of Vulnerable Things’ into a secure Internet of Things (IoT), visit us at csp.partners.