IoT Security Concerns

05-10-19:  Internet of Things (IoT) Security Problems

On Tuesday 5/7/2019 The Villages Magazine was distributed with the delivery of the regular edition of the Daily Sun. This magazine contained an article about “Smart Homes & Home Automation” and was written by Mark Anderson. The article focused on the Internet of Things (IoT), talked about this technology becoming increasingly more common, and it specifically mentioned a number of “smart devices”. I spoke with Mr. Anderson about the article and we discussed issues relating to personal security concerns that were not mentioned in the article. It is common knowledge that far too many “smart devices” similar to the ones found in the article have an extremely poor record when it comes to being hacked and compromising the network they are attached to. This of course puts the device owners and users at risk for fraud and identity theft; and we are all aware of how all too common these things have become now a days. I pointed out to Mr. Anderson that it is a disservice to the readers not to mention some of the more serious “cons” in addition to the focus on the obvious “pros”. I believe that a majority, if not all, of the VCC gurus share these concerns about IoT device security failings. Here is just one major security company, i.e. Norton, with tips to secure your smart home and your IoT devices:  https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-iot-smart-home-security-core.html

The U.S. Congress has recognized the problem and introduced a bill to improve IoT Security. Please see this article from “Security Today” found at this link:  https://securitytoday.com/articles/2019/03/13/congress-introduces-bill-to-improve-iot-security.aspx

Additionally, a Google search will uncover other easily recognizable entities that have also expressed concerns and recommendations about the risks associated with this new technology. Please keep in mind when reading any article like this, regardless of where it is published, that there are always pros and cons. So, you must familiarize yourselves with the risk factors that are almost always inherent in new technology. Two old sayings clearly apply here, “there is no free lunch” and “Caveat Emptor” - buyer beware.

Peter Cronas
President, The Villages Computer Club