Laying the foundations for Internet of Things security

There’s no point being an Internet of Things denier, it’s too late for that. It’s not too late, however, to start accepting that security could be a lot better. Which is where the launch of the Internet of Things Security Foundation comes in. There’s no ignoring the Internet of Things (IoT), you only have to look at the numbers to understand why: Intel reckons 200 billion objects (or 26 smart objects for every human being on Earth) will be part of the IoT by 2020, and Siemens reports that this will equate economically to earnings of up to US $8.9 trillion by the same year. It should come as no surprise, then, that everyone is talking about the IoT; including IT Security Thing Managing Director, Ian Robson, with his ‘Internet of Good Things’ organisation that is creating a community of like-minded IoT thinkers and do’ers. While I wouldn’t go as far as flipping Ian’s naming protocol a complete 360 and referring to it as an ‘Internet of Evil Things’ there are certainly things to worry about as well as celebrate. Not least the fact that many IoT devices have already proven themselves to be vulnerable to attack by those who would exploit them: from hacking into baby monitors through to hijacking smart toilets and router backdoors to name but a few.