The weak link in the chain
One night in August 2013, in a residential area of Houston, Texas, the Gilberts were resting when they heard a strange voice from their two-year-old daughter's bedroom.Has anyone entered the house? Yes and no.Someone was watching (and insulting) the little girl through the connected camera of the surveillance monitor.Although the facts are real, Gilbert's daughter was deaf and did not hear anything.
"A device is as strong as its weakest link." The words of Ondrej Vlcek, executive vice president of Avast, during 4YFN 2018 in Barcelona, serve to explain the case of the Texan family and the reality of most our homes.Although we have an unwavering password on our router or the best antivirus on our computer, our things form increasingly complex (inter) connected ecosystems.If one of the links fails, the rest can fail.
In 2017, more than 123,000 cybersecurity incidents occurred in Spain.The data handled by INCIBE, the National Cybersecurity Institute, 2,425 were ransomware incidents (such as WannaCry) and 18,111 new vulnerabilities were detected.Things increase the complexity of our systems and networks, from homes to large companies, and the security issue grows like a big snowball.
Who is responsible?
"As the Internet of Things connected unnecessarily becomes less avoidable, the attack surface grows, with networked devices and sensors integrated into unexpected elements and contexts: from routers to refrigerators and smart meters, from televisions to toys , from power plants to service stations and pacemakers.As everything becomes smarter, the amount of services that may be affected by malware increases, "they said in the latest cybersecurity report from the We Live Security company.
In this increasingly complex connected world, a question takes the dream away from users, manufacturers and developers: who should take responsibility?
- The user buys a device because it makes life easier, but is he able to keep it safe?
- Manufacturers get on the wave of the Internet of Things, but they often lack the complex experience and knowledge to ensure the safety of their devices.
- Connectivity providers manage networks and keep them secure, but it is difficult to protect the end device, at the user's end.
- Authorities and regulators must still move forward to design safe standards and protocols in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.
- Security solution providers have the knowledge and experience, but depend on the rest to access devices and networks.
The answer probably encompasses everyone.Security goes through more aware users, more prepared manufacturers, better regulations and more reliable networks and protocols.
cybersecurity and IOT trends
Users of things connected to the Internet today face a multitude of risks, from data theft more or less sensitive to ransomware attacks, through remote control of devices to create botnets capable of knocking down systems ( as in the case of MIRAI) or undermine cryptocurrencies for third parties and physical security threats (such as hacking of a home's security systems to enter to steal.) For all this and more, these are the emerging trends that stand out in the world of cybersecurity.
The regulation of the sector. 2017 said goodbye with about 11,000 million devices connected to the Internet worldwide, according to Cisco.In a couple of years it will be 20,000 million and, by 2030, a world with 500,000 million Internet of Things devices.In the coming years, more common standards and protocols will emerge that facilitate communication and strengthen security, as well as regulations that force manufacturers and developers to comply with cybersecurity standards.For example, the General Regulation of Data Protection of the European Union, which seeks to protect user data and sets a series of protocols and standards for the EU.
The role of the blockchain. Wherever you look, it is rare that you do not end up crossing the "block chains." That gigantic decentralized, encrypted and distributed record book, which promises to revolutionize the financial world ( starting with cryptocurrencies) it can also be used to create more secure (and completely independent) communication protocols between IoT devices.
Artificial intelligence. Without a doubt, another of the terms of fashion and one of the great allies in the future of cybersecurity.A strange behavior in a device can be a symptom of a hacking.Detect it on time or Even predicting it is important to protect the IoT system.This is where artificial intelligence comes in.While the use that humans make of a cell phone is quite random (and, therefore, it is difficult to detect anomalies), the behavior of most of connected devices is regular and predictable.Thus, smart algorithms will be increasingly efficient in detecting (and resolving) possible security breaches.
Collaboration between companies. As we have already seen, collaboration between security companies, connectivity providers (such as telecommunications companies), manufacturers and regulatory entities will increase to reinforce the cybersecurity of the planet.
The Internet of Things promises to make our lives easier through intelligent, efficient and connected technology.After years of development, 2018 will be the year of its launch, with an eye on the potential of 5G networks (which are just around the corner).It is a complex world in constant change, in which security plays a central role.And even if it is not 100% our responsibility as users, keeping up with trends and developments will be essential for the online universe does not interfere with our offline world.
Images | iStock, Pixabay
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