Cyber Security Risks Affecting IoT Development

access_time August 8, 2019
by   TechmavenitAdmin
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The Internet of Things (IoT) has become an integral part of our daily lives with homes, vehicles, fridges, TVs and most devices related to our every- day life, becoming inter- connected. These inter- connected devices not only assist us in our daily lives, but also are potentially capable of changing our lives for the better. According to analyst firm Gartner, there will be over 26 billion connected devices by 2020. However, some even believe that the numbers could go higher and exceed 100 billion. This huge number is a result of the giant IoT network of connected objects that also include people. The relationship will be between people-to-people, people-things and things-things, and allows for endless opportunities and connections to take place. However, in the same vein we should also realize that IoT throws up major challenges that need to be addressed if we are to benefit from the huge opportunities open before us Let us look at the major security challenges posed by IoT technology. With most of the devices we deal with on a daily basis becoming inter connected, there always exists the possibility that hackers could break in to any of these devices and cause information security breach. One weak link in the security chain could provide rogue elements with the ability to exploit and enjoy unlimited access to data. This is because all data that is transmitted is not properly encrypted before it is sent via wireless networks, many of which are public and lacking in security. IoT complexity brings in additional risks There are currently eight billion connected IoT devices that are expected to top twenty billion by 2020. With such a huge volume of IoT devices remaining connected, and a visible lack of security in quite a good number of these devices, the possibility of at least a few of them falling a prey to cyber attacks is indeed great. Keeping these huge volume numbers in mind, organizations must take adequate precautions for the security of each node in the framework to impart security as a whole. For this, organizations must have a control system in place for unauthorized devices connection. All connected devices, besides, also need to adhere to security protocols to ensure full security integration across all nodes IoT is a new field of study IoT is fairly a new field of study and as such, there is a glaring lack of experts familiar with the IoT security threat aspects and on the ways of dealing if such threats do emerge. Besides, device manufacturers may be reluctant to include security elements at the manufacturing process itself as they feel that inclusion of security measures in devices could enhance the cost element of the product. Security lapses could emerge even from private sources Hackers and cyber criminals exhibit great levels of sophistication and can craft a cyber attack even from private sources such as cars, houses, wearable device etc, to the total exclusion of the public networks. A careless and negligent employee could cause great harm by scribbling passwords on sheets of paper and failing to protect it from the scrutiny of hackers. To protect themselves, organizations must implement mandatory access control measures to secure networks against malicious penetration. With cyber security risks surrounding IoT increasing by the day, it is recommended that companies employ cyber security professionals to secure networks and devices against unwanted infiltration. Hackers will benefit from non –  monitored and unsecured systems. The onus is then on the cyber security professionals to initiate prevent measures to thwart the nefarious intentions of hackers and cyber criminals.

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