internet of things
And once they are in, will they be able
to access your car sitting in the driveway
and steal it? It doesn’t really matter how
secure Ford makes your car, if your kettle
is going to leave the door open.
Why is it that the Internet of Things is
so woefully behind the curve regarding
security? To start with, your average
kettle manufacturer doesn’t have a great
pedigree in network security. They might
make an efficient kettle, but in the current
climate they will find it difficult to find and
employ a suitable security expert. They
are also in a rush. They have just come
up with the world saving idea of adding
Internet connectivity to your kettle, so
obviously they are in a huge rush to get
it to market before everyone else thinks
of it and beats them to it. And, of course,
functionality will always beat security.
No one wants to go through multi-factor
authentication every time they want a cup
of tea.
The Solution
So, what can you do about it? Purchase
(and attach to your network) with care.
When it comes to the Internet of Things,
you are putting your trust in the hands of
others. There is little that you personally
can do to ensure your TV, kettle, car,
fridge, etc., is secured. One piece of
advice is to look out for names that you
feel you can trust with security.
28 KIOSK solutions
Manufacturers are starting to come
up with solutions for these gaping security
holes. Gemalto, for example, is emerging
as a front-runner in the field of IoT
security. They have hardware modules,
platforms and service solutions that allow
you to connect and protect any machineto-machine or electronic consumer
device. They are currently working with all
sorts of OEMs, mobile network operators
and industrial manufacturers in various
markets.
Barracuda Networks felt the need to
bring out a brand new range of products
designed to protect the Internet of Things
and Machine-to-Machine connectivity.
Their S Series currently includes
Barracuda NextGen Firewall Secure
Connector 1 (SC1) and the Barracuda
NextGen Secure Access Concentrator
(SAC). These two appliances will make it
a lot easier and infinitely more secure for
enterprises to benefit from and roll-out
large scale deployments of devices like
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), pointof-sale kiosks, wind power stations and
networked industrial machines in remote
locations.
Another well-known name in security,
Kaspersky Lab, is making a move in
the automotive space and is currently
in talks with most of the world’s car
manufacturers, particularly around
the area of securing self-driving cars.
They are looking to secure not only the
industrial controls of the production
process, but also the connected car.
Kaspersky Lab is coming at this from
a great place as they are already
involved in protecting Ferrari. Aside
from the usual endpoint protection they
also integrate with existing complex
infrastructure, including industrial
technologies and mobile devices.
In future, if your car is protected by
Kaspersky, then you can probably be
pretty sure your kettle can’t steal it!
You can also do some research
on good old Google. Thinking about
stuffing a EZCast Streamer in your TV’s
USB port? A quick check online will find
a recent report from Check Point which
revealed that the wi-fi network the
EZCast sets up can easily be breached,
allowing the attacker access to your
main network, where they can wreak
havoc or steal confidential data. So
don’t be in a rush to buy. And check it
out before you do.
One important thing to check is
whether the firmware on the product
you are buying can be updated. Users of
SimpliSafe wireless home alarm systems
recently found out that the system
is stupidly easy to hack with basic
sniffing equipment, allowing its PIN
to be grabbed from 30 metres away.
But to really rub salt into the wounds,
the hardware apparently cannot be
patched or updated to overcome the
vulnerability, which leaves owners with
no choice but to junk their system.
Conclusion
So, what’s the best tactic if you don’t want
to fall victim to security weaknesses in
your clever consumer devices, intelligent
cars and machine-to-machine equipment
which makeup the Internet of Things? The
best advice would be to try and resist the
frivolous items like kettles and doorbells
and stick to things made by reputable
manufacturers, preferably ones that have
some sort of pedigree in networking.
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