Information Security and the Internet of Things

Introduction

The Department of Homeland Security has a vital mission to secure the nation from the many threats we face. The duties of Homeland Security range and include detection, preparation, prevention, protection, response, and recovery from terrorist attacks. It also includes enhancing security, safeguarding and securing cyberspace. The primary goal is to keep America safe. The growth of network-connected devices, systems, and services comprising the Internet of Things (IoT) creates immense opportunities and benefits for our society. However, IOT Security has not kept up with the rapid pace of innovation and deployment, creating substantial safety and
economic risks.

Background

The Internet of Things is connecting more and more devices everyday. With this comes several benefits - smart homes, connected healthcare devices, and smart cars - the possibilities are endless! However, with each new benefit comes certain risks as the increase in connected devices gives hackers and cyber criminals access to more entries and vulnerabilites. The Internet of Things enables interconnectedness among many devices and is considered to be the next logical evolution that provides services in manufacturing, smart grids, security, healthcare, electronics and many more.

Discussion

While the benefits of IoT are undeniable, the reality is that security is not keeping up with the pace of innovation. The IOT challenges that will affect my future career as a Cyber Security Analyst will be issues with privacy and security. Some of the security issues include vulnerability to hacking, risks that include malicious actors manipulating the flow of information to and from network-connected devices or tampering with devices themselves,which can lead to the theft of sensitive data and loss of consumer privacy, interruption of business operations, slowdown of internet functionality through large-scale distributed denial-ofservice attacks, and potential disruptions to critical infrastructure. This will greatly impact my career as Information Security personnel will have to work harder at reducing risks to individuals or business, prevent harm to critical infrastructure, protect secure facilities and employees with sensitive roles, protect from intelligence exploitation and cyber attacks, and protect personal data from theft or exploitation.

Summary

The Internet of Things has the potential to offer enormous benefits to consumers. Innovative companies are already selling connected devices, apps, sensors, services, etc., unlike anything we’ve seen before. But businesses should not deploy IOT devices with little consideration for security. The consequences are too high given the potential for harm to our critical infrastructure and our personal privacy. In fact, they are so high that securing the internet of things has become a matter of homeland security.