The Internet of Things — or IoT for short — consists of devices that connect to the internet and share data with each other. IoT devices include computers, laptops, smartphones, and objects equipped with chips to collect data and communicate over a network.

IoT devices have become part of the mainstream electronics culture that people have embraced. It is estimated that there will be up to 21 billion IoT devices by 2020, which will affect the way we interact with everyday objects.

There are a few things to note about the IoT, which is becoming increasingly prevalent as a key part of the digital supply chain.

More people will become addicted to technology

The use of IoT-based devices will continue to grow significantly as more people become addicted to their devices and their functionality. People may choose connection to others over security, store all of their information and that of their family in their IoT devices, and inadvertently trade safety and security for convenience.

A study shows that companies could actually start penalizing employees in their company who disconnect from the internet and reward those who stay connected. The rewards of being online will make more people choose to stay connected to the internet.

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More cities will become ‘smart’

Consumers won’t be the only ones using IoT devices. Cities and businesses will increasingly embrace smart technologies to save time and money.

The more data IoT devices collect, the smarter they become. Cities will transform into smart cities through the use of IoT connected devices as they automate, remotely manage, and collect data through things like visitor kiosks, dash cams, video camera surveillance systems, bike rental stations, and taxis. There will be smart traffic lights that collect data about traffic and use that data to sync lights with rush hour traffic.

The government could also use cameras to keep an eye on people.

Artificial intelligence will continue to grow

Smart home hubs, thermostats, lighting systems, and even coffee makers collect data about your habits and usage patterns. When you set up voice-activated devices, you’re letting them record what you say to them and storing that recording in the cloud. That data is collected to facilitate machine learning.

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that helps computers “learn” without anyone having to program them. The computers are programmed in a way that focuses on the data they receive. The amount of data that will be available and will need to be processed is staggering. Solutions like TDEngine are needed that can process terabytes and even petabytes of data per day.

This new data can then help the machine to ‘learn’ what your preferences are and adapt itself accordingly. For example, when a video website suggests a movie you might like, it has probably learned your preferences based on your previous choices.

It is expected that many industries will be able to tap into this knowledge to better sell products to customers. This will only accelerate as many current computer and data scientists dip their toes into this world with machine learning certificate programs or simply earn advanced degrees in the field as they see where the future is headed.

Routers are becoming more and more secure

As manufacturers work to get their IoT products to market quickly, security may be an afterthought. Many consumer IoT devices sit in homes and don’t have security software installed, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

A home router provides protection at the entrance, including password protection, firewalls, and the ability to configure it to allow only certain devices access to your network.

5G networks will continue to drive IoT growth

Major mobile carriers will continue to roll out 5G networks in 2019. 5G (the fifth generation of mobile wireless technology) promises faster speeds and the ability to connect more smart devices simultaneously.

Faster networks will enable greater collection, analysis and management of the data collected by your smart devices. This will drive innovation among companies making IoT devices and stimulate consumer demand for new products.

5G in automotive is taking the industry to a higher gear. The development of self-driving cars — and the connected vehicles already on the road — will benefit from faster data movement, as the new cars will analyze your data and connect to other IoT devices — including other high-tech vehicles on four wheels.

Unfortunately, the increased reliance on cloud-based storage gives attackers new targets to try to compromise.

IoT-based DDoS attacks will become more dangerous

The first Internet of Things malware, the Mirai malware, a type of malicious software that can infect connected devices such as digital video recorders, security cameras and more using default passwords and usernames, was introduced in 2016.

The malware turned the affected devices into a botnet to facilitate a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that flooded websites with traffic. The attack ultimately overwhelmed one of the largest website hosting companies in the world, causing a variety of large, well-known websites and services to be down for hours.

This particular form of malware is called ‘open source’, meaning that the code can be modified by anyone.

IoT devices can be used to carry out other attacks and can even be used as weapons. A possible example is a country turning off the thermostats of homes in a hostile state during a severe winter. Spy cameras can also be used to spy on people maliciously.

Security and privacy concerns will drive legislation and regulatory activity

The proliferation of IoT devices is one reason why security and privacy concerns are growing.

As people recognize their dependency on IoT, there will be an awareness of security around IoT. It is expected that there will be more regulatory and technology-based developments to mitigate threats.

In mid-2018, the European Union implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR has led to similar security and privacy initiatives in several countries around the world. In the United States, California recently passed a stricter privacy law.

How do we ensure the billions of IoT devices connected to the open internet are secure?

One option is to compare AES with TLS/SSL. Encryption solves a very complex problem. When people think of encryption, many will turn to TLS/SSL, but these protocols are not suitable for encryption and processing.

The reason these protocols are not optimal is that they are point-to-point solutions, not end-to-end solutions. When data has to pass through many different points in the chain, you have to consider different security protocols and devices. This requires a security solution like AES, because it provides end-to-end security and encrypts the message all the way through. Only devices with the encryption keys can decrypt the encrypted data as it is being sent and received.

With AES you can also wrap the message body with AES and leave all useful data in TLS. Useful data is for example temperature data that you are trying to read. Furthermore, we should avoid at all costs having all incoming ports open, as this can make your IoT devices vulnerable to vulnerabilities and DDOS attacks.

Devices should only make outbound connections, so the door is closed to accessing applications and services behind those open ports. The outbound connection can remain open, allowing the device to listen in on a secure tunnel back from the network.

Conclusion

You gain control over the data and can analyze it for many different purposes, enabling you to make the best possible decisions on purchasing, marketing, cross-selling and security.

IoT is here to stay because of the convenience it brings to many people. It is expected that a lot of work needs to be done in the areas of security and regulation to make it as safe as possible.

IoT article and permission to publish here provided by Rachel Stinson. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer and published on May 23, 2019.

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