[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/03\/13\/internet-of-things-and-security-a-reality-check\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/03\/13\/internet-of-things-and-security-a-reality-check\/","headline":"Internet of Things and security: A reality check","name":"Internet of Things and security: A reality check","description":"in order for the Internet of Things to grow further, security challenges need to be addressed.","datePublished":"2015-03-13","dateModified":"2021-09-03","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/ajith-sankaran\/#Person","name":"Ajith Sankaran","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/ajith-sankaran\/","identifier":78,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff4e297801780d22213c4a435d8c6eb777b588debfc5f88ed803e02dbdd2a1cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff4e297801780d22213c4a435d8c6eb777b588debfc5f88ed803e02dbdd2a1cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/lock-on-ipad-image.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/lock-on-ipad-image.jpg","height":1096,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/03\/13\/internet-of-things-and-security-a-reality-check\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]},"Commerce Platforms + Software",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/intelligent-enterprise\/","name":"Intelligent Enterprise","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Intelligent_enterprise","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q6044119"]}],"wordCount":774,"keywords":["B2B","B2C","Data Security","E-commerce","IoT | Internet of Things","Retail"],"articleBody":"The Internet of Things (IoT) is among the hottest topics in e-commerce today. Yet in order for this space to grow further, security challenges need to be addressed.At the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said IoT, \u201chas the potential to provide enormous benefits for consumers, but it also has significant privacy and security implications.Big IoT benefits, but also security risksThe IoT could improve global health, modernize city infrastructures, and spur global economic growth. To be sure, these potential benefits are immense, but so too are the potential risks. Connected devices that provide increased convenience and improve health services are also collecting, transmitting, storing, and often sharing vast amounts of consumer data, some of it highly personal, thereby creating a number of privacy risks.\u201dIn 2014, HP released a study that found 70 percent of devices connected to the Internet are vulnerable to some form of hacking. The study examined 10 of the most popular Internet-connected devices, including thermostats, smart TVs and webcams, and found 25 vulnerabilities for each of the devices, such as insecure web interfaces, insufficient software protection and lack of encryption.Additionally, IDC came out with \u201cWorldwide IoT Predictions for 2015\u201d this past December. It predicted 90 percent of all IT networks will have an IoT-based security breach within two years, although many will be considered \u201cinconveniences.\u201d Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) will be forced to adopt new IoT policies, the report asserted.For IoT to reach its true potential, the following challenges must be tackledDevice Proliferation \u2013 This is arguably the No. 1 reason for security challenges in the IoT world. Until a few years back, Internet-connected devices were limited to the PC, smartphone and tablet. With IoT, thousands of different devices are connected to the Internet. And, it won\u2019t be commercially viable to fully secure the low-end, single-use devices with lower grade programming. Such devices and systems will be the most vulnerable to hacks.Multiplicity of Platforms and Lack of Standardization \u2013 Without standardization or governance in place, different IoT platforms will have different approaches to coding and connectivity protocols. Many IoT systems won\u2019t even encrypt the data it transmits, and it\u2019s safe to say many \u201cloose\u201d approaches could easily compromise IoT security.Increasing Use Cases \u2013 The increasing level of use cases is directly tied to device proliferation. With the market opening up, we could see an explosion in applications and usage scenarios, in addition to the actual devices. An increase in use cases could expose IoT systems to even more security challenges involving data collection, including data that users considered private. The increase in use cases is especially challenging in the B2B space, as individual departments tend to deploy IoT systems in siloes, or without the sign-off from the IT department.More Opportunities for Hackers \u2013 In many ways, IoT offers hackers a much wider playing field. For example, consider what would happen if a criminal could hack into a smart home system? Now think about all the potential threats in the B2B world. The repercussions could be even more serious.While IoT challenges certainly exist, they are not insurmountable. Stakeholders, vendors and users need to consider and execute the following:Stakeholders Need to Develop Standardizations \u2013 While it won\u2019t be easy, the IoT industry needs to collaborate to develop some level of governance standards for IoT platforms and protocols. Regulatory bodies, such as Federal Trade Commission, have already started pushing for stricter controls.Vendors Must Make Security a Priority \u2013 From the initial design stage to the operational environment of IoT products and systems, vendors must take security issues and threats into high consideration. Low-priced IoT devices will require innovative approaches so that the price points remain affordable. The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and AllSeen Alliance are among the organizations driving IoT security standards for vendors.Vendors Need to Consider Data Minimization \u2013 In order to provide security and data privacy, IoT does make the case for Mission-Impossible-style \u201cself-destructing data.\u201d It is possible to design IoT systems so that customer\/user data is collected and used \u2013 but not stored indefinitely.B2B Users Need Strict IoT Usage Policies \u2013 For B2B users, it becomes imperative to have an organizational level policy on IoT devices and their usage. This may be a challenge for many companies since individuals departments have started making independent decisions on IT.The need for increased IoT security measures is widely recognized; however, the path to achieve tighter controls and standardization is far from smooth. The vendor community must collaborate on standardization in order for IoT to help the marketplace.  Ready to become an intelligent enterprise?Get started\u00a0HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2015","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"03","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/\/03\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"13","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/\/03\/\/13\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Internet of Things and security: A reality check","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/03\/13\/internet-of-things-and-security-a-reality-check\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]