Data privacy and protection is something we must take seriously as the internet of things come closer to us every day which leads to huge increase in smart devices being connected online and generating data from different geographics. Online security experts says the possibilities of hacks and breaches are not far-fetched.
Already, billions of smart devices are connected at the moment and more would be connected in the future and as already claimed the more connected these devices are the more susceptible and vulnerable to hacking they become.
According to a study carried out by the PC giant, Hewlett Packard, about three quarters of all internet of things are susceptible to getting hacked or compromised. A study of 10 common smart devices which included thermostats, smart TV’s and webcams were studied. The study claimed that each devices has at least 25 vulnerabilities. For instance, connected printers, video conferencing systems are all easy IoT-connected targets that are connected to being hacked by cyber-criminals.
The hackers achieve this by snooping on the targeted organisation listening into calls, or using unsecured systems to reach other part of the network and make off with private information. It does not take up to five minutes to hack into an internet-connected device that lacks the most hack basic cyber-security protocol. The absence of this protocols only pave the way for cyber attackers to hack data, spy on confidential internal activities and many times causing physical damages.
“Later last year, there was a lot of news about Internet of Things and a bit of IoT security, and we have not seen anything that focused on the complete picture of IoT security. So we decided to start the OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) Internet of Things Top 10 Project, which aims to educate on the main facets of Internet of Things security that should people should be concerned with” – the statement from HP concluded.
Researchers warned that Internet of Things including IP connected security systems, connected VoIP phones, smart fridges, and even smart light bulbs –pose an inherent risk to the security of organisations that deploy them.
Matthew Prince, the co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare said “Anyone who is hooking up with the internet on a poorly secured device can expect to see that gizmo hacked within a week, if not much sooner.”
There are some levels of measures that could be applied to avoid the vulnerabilities of connected devices. Researchers say there are basic security in modern devices that screen out the most obvious attacks. Getting phished, if you wished is more of a problem when you are been tricked to surrendering your password or username to a common service. If you plugged in your webcam into your router or to your Wi-Fi, you are relatively safe.
Eric Vyncke, a distinguished engineer with Cisco, described the risks and proffered some solutions in a presentation at a RSA security conference. Vyncke postulated that worms, Trojans and Botnets that were once limited to personal computers and mobile devices can now infect a television set or home security systems too.
IoT gives professional hackers and malware developers access to intellectual property and an ability to spy on, or sabotage manufacturing facilities and critical infrastructure systems, like the power grid, oil pipelines, nuclear power plants and the railway systems.
“On a more personal level, a criminal who can hack your smart metering utility system can identify when usage drops and assumes that nobody is home.” Vyncke concluded.
The real deal is now the fact there is an urgent need for us to begin to raise our own personal ‘cyber warriors’ to be trained and mandated to protect us in the event of a massive cyber-attack. As utopian as this may appear, the real concern is fighting organised cybercrime and terrorism.
This post is not essentially to induce fear but to paint the true picture of what is possible in the hyper-connected, and also to get ourselves, as well as policy makers fully prepared for the good, the bad and ugly side of IoT.
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