The Internet of Things is revolutionizing the way the world is evolving. Devices located in our pockets, our office computers and even our home walls can be equipped with tools that capture and transmit details of our location or even the way in which we behave while exposing the environment in which we develop our daily activities. It enables the transformation of a large amount of data that should be stored, analysed and transmitted on a wider world network. This “data treasure” can serve as food for platforms that serve artificial intelligence, and data-related applications, affecting almost every aspect of our lives.
Despite that, the Internet of Things does not come without its risks, its technological downsides, and concerns regarding security which continue to grow. A recent study by participants of the Black Hat USA 2017 conference developed by UBM, listed attacks on computer equipment and systems as the first concern in the list, after two years. Imagine an attack on the transport system, an interference on pacemaker, or even worse a power outage. Those are actions that put lives in jeopardy. Security field professionals should be prepared to carefully design solutions to defend against such new threats.
What about devices that are vastly used and at the same time secure the networks of many businesses? There are no mechanisms to cope with such advanced attacks yet and those are precisely the devices targeted by such cyber-attacks recently. The Internet of Things will shape the way how businesses use data they receive through their devices, and in turn the analysis of such data will influence on the decisions taken on how to manage daily activities.
We need to assume that our entire working network, both end-to-end and central, is vulnerable to cyber-attacks regardless of how effective we are in controlling our defensive perimeter. It is important to understand that threats can come from any source or direction. By obtaining all the information needed, structured and segmented according to risk, will enable us to generate intelligent and automated solutions and will allow us to sail safely in this new digitized world. With these core requirements in safety, IT Security professionals may seek comprehensive security solutions, by recognizing that such devices and all other network elements, should be monitored, segmented and protected.
