The Internet of Things is spreading, multiplying the number of clever devices and intruding deeper in our privacy. Those who will succeed in that market are those that will master the technologies that avoid fraud and excessive privacy intrusion.
The Internet of Things faces huge hacking risks. For two reasons:
- IoT devices are relatively easier to hack because they do not usually include software upgrade and because they are based on standard chips with many more functionalities.
- The consequences of hacking can also be much more visible, being devices that control the physical space.
Lately there have been some attacks launched from networks of connected IoT devices, that have been greater than anything recorded yet – for example read ‘A massive attack that may have hijacked online cameras will soon be “the new normal’.
At the start of internet, many services collapsed due to the issue of managing spam and fraud. For example, lots of paypal competitors died of this scourge, and paypal survived by having, from the start, implemented strong anti-fraud features.
The same will happen in the IoT: the survivors will be those that will develop and implement the technology that will avoid as much as possible hacking and subornation of their devices. This should be a key research angle for those that want to succeed in this field.
