IoT Security — 90-Percent of Devices are NOT Secure
The explosion in the number of devices connected to the cloud come with a price. That price is security. Armando Lucrecio, a Senior Technical Program Manager with Amazon Connected Products addresses the issue in the Business School of AI’s WeeklyWed, talking about how some 90% of products in IoT are not secure. Lucrecio outlines the myriad of reasons for this. He makes it clear: Understanding and addressing the security issues will help a technology with great promise.
“Connected product” is probably a better term to use than the Internet of Things, or IoT. Lucrecio likes the label because it better helps us understand how we are talking about networking: Security cameras; Alexa, Google Home and Apple’s Siri; Nest thermostats; home appliances, and a seemingly endless number of other possibilities. There’s even word now that Amazon has a robotic dog that patrols your home and communicates with you on “the network.”
“It’s all about the network,” Lucrecio says. This connectivity allows for communication to occur, and with it, the extraction of data that enables us to make the decisions that benefit everyone involved. If you control the network, you can can extract all the data and analyze it, providing the answers you need to better serve your customers.
The security issues crop up because of all the players involved. Since there is no way that one company can build its own network, players rely on telecommunications companies. Then there’s the product itself. If you buy the hardware, those that made it can build in a back door for someone else’s access, or they can insert a trojan horse to later take control. Then there are hackers who work to take control of either the product or device and the network for whatever reason, most likely for monetary gain.
In the discussion, Lucrecio lays out a number of solutions, pointing out that “security is one of the hardest things in IoT.” Start by knowing how your network works and make sure it’s secure. Also, know where the access points are. From there you build a rust zone and secure your space in the cloud. He says there are answers for each of the issues, but they require knowledge and taking action to provide optimal security.
Note: Armando Lucrecio, a former officer in the U.S. Navy, has spent his career working on sensors and the data they provide. He is now is a Senior Technical Program Manager for Amazon. He is also a former student of Sudha Jamthe’s IoT Business course with Stanford Continuing Studies. Here he speaks at WeeklyWed, a series featuring Sudha Jamthe’s contacts at the Business School of AI.
The Author: Henry Mulak is a journalist and teacher in Silicon Valley covering the technology sector, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
