Internet of Things (or IoT for short) is the network for many forms of items in our lives that have connectivity implanted in them to collect and share data in order to make them “smart” (like your smart TV). The ambition is that it would not stop at just electronic gadgets but clothes, pills, and basically everything you can think of that you interact with on a daily basis.
History
As far back as 1982, there have been plans of a digital network of appliances. At Carnegie Mellon University, a Coke vending machine was connected to the internet for keeping track of the inventory as well as the temperature of newly-loaded cans — making it the first recorded appliance to go “smart.”
The blueprint for the modern concept of Internet of Things came from Mark Weiser’s “The Computer of the 21st Century” article that appeared in a September 1991 issue of Scientific American. It featured what Weiser called ubiquitous computing (or ubicomp for short) that was an attempt to normalize “smart” appliances for all demographics in society.
The coinage of the term Internet of Things itself is attributed to Kevin Ashton of Procter & Gamble in 1999. The wikipedia article does note that he preferred the term “Internet for things” rather than the variation we see today (the reason is not given; however, it’s interesting to think that IoT could have been called IfT).
According to Cisco Systems, if we were to define IoT as “simply the point in time when more ‘things or objects’ were connected to the Internet than people,” the real emergence or “birth” of IoT would have been around 2008–2009 when the ratio of things to people grew from 0.08 in 2003 to 1.84 in 2010.
How do IoT devices work?
Smartphones do play a large role in the IoT, however, because many IoT devices can be controlled through an app on a smartphone. You can use your smartphone to communicate with your smart thermostat, for example, to deliver the perfect temperature for you by the time you get home from work. Another plus? This can eliminate unneeded heating or cooling while you’re away, potentially saving you money on energy costs.
IoT devices contain sensors and mini-computer processors that act on the data collected by the sensors via machine learning. Essentially, IoT devices are mini computers, connected to the internet, and are vulnerable to malware and hacking.
Machine learning is when computers learn in a similar way to humans — by collecting data from their surroundings — and it is what makes IoT devices smart. This data can help the machine learn your preferences and adjust itself accordingly. Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that helps computers learn without having to be programmed by someone.
That doesn’t mean your smart speaker will discuss the key points of last night’s big game with you. But your connected refrigerator may send you an alert on your smartphone that you’re low on eggs and milk because it knows you’re near a supermarket.
IoT security and privacy: What you need to know
What could go wrong? As with any technology, there’s the potential for good and bad.
Convenience is good. But connectedness can also open the door to cybercriminals. Cyberattacks already access data like bank logins, credit card numbers, and more. Strong security is essential.
Consider some of the potential risks of IoT — and those mini CPUs. What if someone hacks your IoT security cameras and watches your every move? What if a cybercriminal commandeers your smart TV, smoke alarms, or front-door lock? Connectedness can create vulnerabilities.
It’s smart to help ensure these connections stay safe and secure — just like you protect yourself against cybercrime. The Internet of Things will continue to open up opportunities for new online threats.
One of the best ways to help defend your networked devices is to make sure that your router is secure. That way, it can protect your entire home Wi-Fi network and the devices connected to it. Think of your Wi-Fi router as the front door to your online world.
Pros and cons of IoT
Some of the advantages of IoT include the following:
- ability to access information from anywhere at any time on any device;
- improved communication between connected electronic devices;
- transferring data packets over a connected network saving time and money; and
- automating tasks helping to improve the quality of a business’s services and reducing the need for human intervention.
Some disadvantages of IoT include the following:
- As the number of connected devices increases and more information is shared between devices, the potential that a hacker could steal confidential information also increases.
- Enterprises may eventually have to deal with massive numbers — maybe even millions — of IoT devices, and collecting and managing the data from all those devices will be challenging.
- If there’s a bug in the system, it’s likely that every connected device will become corrupted.
- Since there’s no international standard of compatibility for IoT, it’s difficult for devices from different manufacturers to communicate with each other.
To conclude
IoT has an important place in our life, it help in many different ways even more so in our future life but IoT still has numerous security and risk challenges and even more will emerge in the future. As the diversity of IoT devices grows, so will the complexity of the security challenge. To reap the benefits of IoT, keeping these devices secure by mitigating against the biggest IoT risks is essential.