One net, one body. Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects, which have sensors, software and different technologies that allow them to connect and exchange data between devices and systems using the Internet. The range of objects is wide and varied for domestic and industrial use. In short, they are things that communicate.
Although the idea is not new, today it is possible thanks to the convergence of different technologies, such as cloud computing platforms, which allow access to an infrastructure that expands the capacity to execute projects without having to manage everything; machine learning and analysis that facilitates the analysis of considerable amounts of data; artificial intelligence which makes it possible to make sense of the amount of data in an efficient and effective manner; the availability of sensor technology at low cost and power which allows the application to be scalable for various economic sectors; and connectivity with high availability which allows the distribution and immediacy of the data collected by the sensors.
This allows applications to be as large or small as needed or desired, hence it can be classified according to their application, Internet of Things (Iot) for domestic use and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) which refers to the application of Iot technology in industrial environments, especially with automation, instrumentation and control of sensors communicating machines with machines (M2M) wirelessly, which some call the fourth industrial revolution or industry 4.0 because they have allowed companies to find new business models.
Some examples of these new business models and / or applications are smart manufacturing, smart cities, smart digital supply chains, preventive and predictive maintenance, wereables and autonomous cars.
In short, IoT’s ability to provide sensor data as well as communicate devices provides an unimaginable space to create in a wide spectrum of applications. Therefore, it is pertinent to mention and explain some of its most used applications.
More efficient manufacturing, through the supervision of machines that can analyze continuously and in real time to ensure that the quality of the products is within the required parameters and thus more quickly address quality defects.
Asset tracking, which allows companies to determine the location of assets, ensuring that high-value assets are protected against theft.
Wearebles, which accompany us in the form of accessories or clothing to analyze our health or environmental conditions, allowing us to better understand our own health and notify remotely to the doctors of our state. In another approach, it allows employers to track the health and safety of their employees.
Improving existing processes drives efficiencies and new possibilities for processes within companies by measuring and comparing metrics with respect to decisions made at one time or another.
Change of business models, causing companies that used to sell products to provide a service, where customers no longer have the need to buy a product but to pay for its use.
According to the above, this question arises What industries can benefit from IoT? To which we can answer that organizations that need sensors in their business processes. But not only can it transform private organizations, what about public? cities?
Yes, perhaps the greatest contribution of IoT can be for the public, for our government systems, for our environment, for our cities. Have you heard about smart cities? Perhaps now would be a good time to do so. Imagine all the things we have talked about, the automation in companies, the productivity, the quality, but not to produce but to optimize resources, to live better.
For this, the IoT must intervene in our transport, in our markets, in our public services, in our spaces. Our cars, for example, must be able to detect anomalies while on the road and give recommendations and detailed information about the situation of the car, it must also allow that with the information collected can be made increasingly safe cars; As for the transport and logistics systems, they will be able to optimize the routes of cars, trucks, ships and trains to be redirected according to the incidents in accordance with the atmospheric conditions, the availability of vehicles or availability of operators, the inventories and goods will have to be georeferenced for their tracking and location, to finally reach the retail distribution and thus be able to manage the inventory, improve the customer experience, optimize the supply chain and reduce operating costs, through intelligent shelves equipped with sensors that allow to detail the status of the shelves.
Interestingly enough, benefits in the public sector and other service-related environments have their own variety of applications. For example, government utilities can use IoT applications to notify citizens of massive outages or even small interruptions in water, electricity or sewage services, but not only do they allow notification, they can also help anticipate the extent of a service outage and plan the deployment of resources to get public services back up and running more quickly.
It all sounds so wonderful, it’s like living in a futuristic movie, but it brings with it multiple factors of privacy and security, which in most technological applications are not taken into account. There is too much data coming and going from one place to another and still no regulations on it, one of the biggest problems of this technology, undoubtedly. In addition, there is a lack of standardization of protocols, low or no software updates in the sensors deployed in the field, different hardware versions, security gaps in the architecture and infrastructure of IoT systems, among others.
According to the OWASP Foundation (Open Web Application Security Project) and its “IoT Top 10 2018” as part of its Internet of Things focused project lists in a document the top 10 security issues associated with IoT.
- Weak, predictable or in-code passwords
- Unsecured network services
- Unsafe Interface Ecosystem
- Lack of secure upgrade mechanisms
- Use of unsafe or outdated components
- Insufficient privacy protection
- Unsecured data transfer and storage
- Lack of management controls
- Unsecured configuration by default
- Lack of hardeningno
But perhaps the most vulnerable is the lack of hardening that clogs up the physical devices, which prevents the system attackers from taking advantage of this vulnerability, and can access them on site and exploit the data found, and even access from them to the entire system.
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