Subscribe

Viewpoint: An increasingly 'hackable' world

David Jacobson, co-founder and Technical Director at SYNAQ, says the physical world is becoming one big information system.


Johannesburg, 22 May 2014
David Jacobson is the co-founder and Technical Director at SYNAQ.
David Jacobson is the co-founder and Technical Director at SYNAQ.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is going to be one of the greatest technological revolutions mankind has ever seen, it's a world where just about anything can be connected and communicated in an intelligent fashion. David Jacobson, co-founder and Technical Director at SYNAQ, says the physical world is becoming one big information system.

As much as this brings benefits in connectivity, it also brings new challenges that we are not yet prepared for. Security on a personal and professional level needs to be redefined in this new landscape.

Cisco predicts that 50 billion "things" will be connected to the Internet by 2020. Some examples of this include intelligent fridges (that detect you've run out of milk and order more for you from your local store), re-prioritized traffic lights for smoother journeys to the office and remote controlled homes. In so many words, a new world of smart cities with added conveniences and optimisations for the human race never seen before - a new stage of technological evolution but also a new era of risk with human life exposed to a new level of attack on a personal level through technology.

Currently, being hacked is limited to online portals being exposed. Whether this means business servers/services, physical devices or personal accounts being exploited, the vulnerability is limited and management of security is clear. In the near future, being hacked will mean potential harm and vulnerability to the individual on all levels, from your home security being disabled and open to access, your children being exposed to strangers across the world, or your fridge becoming part of a botnet and bringing down your office network.

So the IoT brings with it a number of concerns that vendors, consumers and businesses appear not to be considering. Currently there isn't a security standard for smart devices and no third party software being developed to be installed on such devices because televisions, fridges and baby monitors for example, have never been online before. The thought of smartphone security is not yet a reality for consumers let alone security for their Smart TV.

Consumers need to challenge the vendors' security integrity as much as vendors need to come up with a secure standard in preparation for the next wave of hacking. As with all security application, the key is vigilance. Create good passwords and then be aware about the need to change them occasionally and most especially after there has been an attack or crack detected in the system. As exciting as it will be too have your home on remote control, it is equally necessary to protect your family's data and things in this changing world.

About the author: David Jacobson is the co-founder and Technical Director at SYNAQ, leading provider of business class cloud based messaging and communication services for South African business. He is passionate about technology, entrepreneurship, is proudly South African and was a hacker in a previous life.

Share

Editorial contacts

Leigh Angelo
ITP Communications
leigh@tradeprojects.co.za