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internet of things

Securing your Internet of Things: What business needs to know

  • min read
    • Today's businesses are full of things that connect to the internet, from electricity meters to lighting to fridges. In manufacturing and industry, networked devices monitor safety, productivity and maintenance needs, saving money, time and energy. What's not to love? Security for these game-changing IoT devices isn't getting enough attention, argues Chris Kubecka, CEO of Hypatec and distinguished chair of the Middle East Institute in Tomorrow Unlocked's video Internet of Things: When Devices Attack. In fact, poor IoT security has already claimed lives. What is the Internet of Things? IoT devices include any device that connects to a network. They're often called a 'smart' something – like smart meters, lightbulbs and printers. Noushin Shabab, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky, says, "The industrial Internet of Things could be worth a trillion US dollars by 2025. Companies like Airbus use IoT for predictive maintenance sensors in aircraft. It's high risk – devices not regularly connected can't receive updates, so are more easily hacked." "These devices are becoming common in homes and industry," says Kubecka. "But most are not properly security tested, and many use outdated operating systems. It's easy for attackers to exploit those and bring down entire businesses." What risks come with unsecured IoT devices? Kubecka describes how in 2014, the German government reported a fatal hack into the network of a steel mill. Attackers flooded the network, and safety systems couldn't operate. Three people were killed and many injured. Other attacks are more domestic, like one Kubecka investigated in Saudi Arabia. "A company bought a bunch of new smart fridges from a supplier that didn't security-test. A criminal gang exploited these fridges and used them for spam and manipulating the stock market." But cybercriminals can use anyone's data and systems for fraud and other money-making schemes, like mining bitcoin. How businesses can better secure smart devices "Makers and sellers of IoT devices must do their part to secure them," says Shabab. She recommends they audit code, test for vulnerabilities and let users update and patch devices themselves rather than updating remotely. Using security expertise helped smart prosthetic limb makers Motorica, who asked Kaspersky to review their device security. Kaspersky's researchers found several vulnerabilities, letting Motorica protect their customers by closing security holes. While IoT makers are getting more security conscious, businesses may already be full of insecure smart devices. Start with an audit of what's connecting to the internet, disconnect anything that doesn't need to connect and make sure connecting devices have strong passwords. If you supply IoT devices, use a secure-by-design gateway like Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateways (KISG.)
cities of future

How working from home is changing the future of cities

  • min read
    • The switch to working from home that accompanied the pandemic is accelerating underlying trends in urban living and improving quality of life in cities. The pandemic isn't over, and no one knows what's next, but trend-spotters in marketing, research and other disciplines are noting change in how we live. I agree with them: Our environment is changing thanks to the influence of remote work, new technology and interacting physical and virtual worlds. Here are some of the big shifts to watch out for. How homes will change Never before have people around the world found themselves living in such similar ways at the same time. For the second year running, we're seeing remote working en masse. The change has boosted some sectors. E-commerce has thrived as visiting bricks-and-mortar stores became more complicated. We've seen higher shipping parcel volumes and evidence of expansion in delivery services. People are getting used to spending more time at home, so in commerce 'dark stores' (local stores being converted into fulfilment houses for online orders,) food delivery and digitalization will keep growing. Contactless payments will be the norm. COVID-19 has accelerated intelligent buildings and smart home technologies already being implemented. Keyless entry, voice-activated elevators and digital room service have become more valuable as consumers embrace hands-off technology at home. For smart homes, essential security includes correctly configuring Wi-Fi networks and protecting devices and control panels with strong, unique passwords. But consumers have a way to come to adopt good security practices widely. Kaspersky's recent research found only 48 percent protect their Wi-Fi network with a password, and just 58 percent use security software beyond what their devices have as standard with their operating system. There's encouraging news in emerging 'cyber immune' technologies bringing greater security by design to the new fusion of digital and physical worlds. How the office will change Millions of employees working from home have felt the need for a virtual office. The hybrid work model is coming to the fore for many businesses, which means heading to the office just two or three days a week. This 'pop-up' workspace paradigm means virtual work will become more widely available. The need to organize IT support adds a burden for employees. Simple advice: Always use a virtual private network (VPN) at home or on public Wi-Fi – it will protect your data, hide your IP address and ensure no one intercepts your online communications. How urban living will change Demographers and sociologists have trotted out the 'death of the suburbs' narrative many times over the years. COVID-19 caused a return to suburban and country life: Millions changed out downtown apartments for green places with less human contact. "First there were boom towns. Now there are Zoom towns," said Lilly Smith in Fast Company, describing vacation destinations turning into real estate hot spots. My study of economic sociology tells me people will find a middle ground between Zoom towns and big cities. The pandemic has blurred the boundaries between suburban living and metropolitan life. Improved rural infrastructure means country living is an option for people who have never considered it before. More than ever, people can choose their lifestyle, mixing and matching living arrangements according to family and seasons. I think Zoom towns are here to stay, but the way people use them will evolve. But another thing the pandemic has taught us is, we want to meet face to face. It's human nature to communicate and live together. People want to go to bars and restaurants, and they need eye contact in meetings and to feel connected to teammates to be productive. All this is why we'll always want to live in cities. Urban trends triggered in 2020 include 15-minute cities, where citizens can get daily needs within a short walk or fresh air while teleworking. Malls have made way for local grocery stores, and we're favoring getting around on bicycles rather than driving or by public transport. In Fast Forward audio series episode Cities of the Future, filmmaker and vice-chair of Women in Architecture Sarah Akigbogun predicts the flight from downtown to suburbia may be good for tackling inequality. It might empower talented people in marginalized communities recently shut out by inner-city gentrification. These may be long-lasting urban tendencies. Post-pandemic habits will shape the look of future neighborhoods, providing a more family-friendly environment for those who enjoy city living. When planning a living environment, developers must create opportunities for communication and leisure, enhance sense of community and prioritize health. Technologies that sanitize public spaces, allow contactless entry or enable stay-at-home virtual and augmented reality tourism will bring us closer to a future of smart and secure homes and cities. In the past, cities grew through planning decisions and municipal visions of the future, but we're entering a time when technology is giving many the flexibility to choose where and how they live and work. As global challenges like pandemics and climate change demand fast, decisive change, this growing flexibility in our lives could be a valuable asset.
internet of things customers

When tech goes shopping: How smart-device customers are changing retail

  • min read
    • Science fiction author William Gibson coined the term 'cyberspace' in his 1984 novel Neuromancer to describe an imagined internet-based virtual world. His idea was like the internet of things (IoT) we have today, but he didn't foresee its kooky yet useful features – like replacement ordering coffee capsules or printer ink cartridges – which, banal as they are, have the retail sector aflutter imagining how to serve its new non-human consumers. The network of internet-connected 'smart' devices is growing fast and infiltrating many parts of life. Market intelligence firm IDC projects there'll be 55.7 billion internet-connected devices worldwide by 2025. This is just the beginning. Gibson pointed to the future of artificial intelligence needing human sensibility to be more 'intelligent' and so, useful. It's not long since smart fridges were considered expensive Proofs of Concept with little added value for the consumer. But that view changed as costs fell and technology adapted to show its usefulness. Should we expect more devices like printers and fridges with sensors to make inventories, monitor supplies and replenish them automatically? Futurist Matthew Griffin from 311 Institute thinks so. "We've already seen fridges that have cameras and AI machine vision. They know what's in the fridge and can reorder things through your favorite online shop. HP printers monitor ink levels and order replenishments," he said. But we also live in a time when some tech advances have moved away from regulatory and social boundaries detrimentally. We're playing catch-up in areas like privacy regulation and limiting the spread of misinformation on social media, and living with the consequences of unrestrained, fast-moving innovation. For Griffin, there are big security and privacy implications of letting IoT devices act like humans. "Every aspect of your life will be watched and monitored by systems that monitor your behavior around the house by listening to cues," he says. "In short, your privacy is non-existent — which is where regulators come in." Kaspersky's Senior Security Researcher Dan Demeter believes it's crucial IoT makers and sellers do their part by securing devices. "The kinds of steps they must take include regularly auditing source code and black box testing. Having a bug bounty program lets makers take advantage of cybersecurity vulnerability researchers out there looking for rewards. Regular 'red team' testing (also known as ethical hacking) is important nowadays because supply chain attacks are becoming so common." He goes on to say, "If you find a vulnerability, make it easy for customers to patch their devices. Don't have 'vendor backdoors' on your IoT devices, but let users run and manage them on closed networks. Make sure the device's operating system is secure and make default logins and passwords unique and hard to crack." Satisfying the smart device customer Smart devices are already customers. Amazon's digital assistant Alexa acts as an ecommerce assistant, as do car 'infotainment' systems and a growing number of smart appliances. Siri and Google Assistant are moving in the same direction. Samsung fridges can already order from third-party suppliers, but it won't end there. Griffin sees a future when a manufacturer like Samsung creates smart fridges that order replacement groceries from a Samsung-owned store. "These new 'customers' let companies create new business models and revenue streams," says Griffin. "If one million fridges needed milk, they could form buying consortiums using blockchain and hold an e-auction to get the best deal. Then they could take the money they save their owners and put it in a bank account to help owners save for a holiday, or even invest it." Retailers will think of smart devices and appliances as we do smartphones, where an Apple iPhone must buy apps from the Apple app store. Griffin continues, "It'll be the same with other smart devices — if you want to buy X, their device is connected to their store." Privacy concerns, unfamiliarity with and distrust of 'smart' services and lack of standards for consistency across applications and brands will temper IoT-market growth. But Dan Miller, Lead Analyst and Founder of Opus Research, is optimistic. "While they rightfully raise privacy concerns, they are key to providing secure and personalized digital ecommerce assistants. A lot of these issues can be overcome in short order." Miller goes on to say, "Expect voice assistance to be integrated into kitchen appliances as well as TV remotes and smart speakers where they're already used to order new entertainment content," says Miller. Miller predicts next we'll see digital assistants develop into voice agents aware of people's purchasing patterns, payment preferences and preferred sellers. "Voice brings the added advantage of being a biometric signature and key to personalization." Retailers look to IoT data for personalization There's a roll call of ways IoT will change retail and ecommerce. It promises many ways to improve transactions, systems and processes. For retail, stock availability and order fulfillment can become more transparent and responsive in real-time, giving confidence consumers can find and buy what they want when they want it. For wholesale and manufacturing, managing stock levels, ordering and production will be easier through real-time analytics. Connecting with retailers will enhance supply chains by reducing system holdups. Remote device monitoring will mean valuable intelligence for predictive maintenance based on time and usage and performance analytics from day-to-day usage. Personalized offers based on first-hand customer intelligence could build loyalty and brand connection. 'Frictionless' stores like Amazon Go already let consumers select goods in an IoT-connected store then pay with smart devices without scanning and check out. IoT ecommerce will go further as devices themselves monitor usage and buy replacement supplies. David Dubois, Associate Professor of Marketing at graduate business school INSEAD, specializes in understanding how to turn data-led insights from digital technologies like IoT, AI and blockchain into commercial intelligence. "IoT devices can make every product 'alive' by capturing a continuous flow of data reflecting its use and the state of the machine the device is in," he says He believes IoT devices can prevent maintenance issues like waiting for repairs to machines or reordering coffee capsules. But more importantly, he says their data is a strategic tool for companies to expand into new services, products and competitive space. "By monitoring running information, Nike gets information on things beyond its point of interest. It can, for instance, collect data on heart rate tied to stress and sleeping patterns and expand by rolling out new solutions in these spaces," Dubois says. Will algorithms eventually shop for humans? As more IoT devices make buying decisions, like the printer that monitors and reorders paper and ink, could these internet-connected devices eventually act like customers? Retail futurist Howard Saunders thinks we're entering a time when algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT will collude to remove friction from our lives, like the chore of replenishment. "We're witnessing the crystallization of the difference between 'retail' and 'shopping,'" Saunders says. He continues, "Retail has grown to encompass everything online – hospitality, banking, museums – but people want to know if there's a future for 'shopping' in a world that faces the relentless march of AI and the algorithms. That's shopping in the sense of heading out for a day's browsing, meeting and trying on that happens in our town centers and malls. My answer is an emphatic YES!" Saunders' vision of the future high street will excite many. "As routine replenishment is taken away from us, real-world shopping will become more engaging. From corner shop deli tastings and bakery workshops to big brand playgrounds in urban centers, shopping is becoming less about getting stuff and more about experiencing things. It's already happening. Shops that just sold things are dying while young brands with something to say are taking their places. I say bring it on." Smart devices are increasingly behaving like consumers, from making recommendations based on past buying to replenishing supplies. Retail brands must plan to adapt to this new kind of customer while realizing people will still want experiences retail can provide. IoT manufacturers and suppliers can lead the way in consumer trust by upholding customer privacy and securing their devices well.
smart-hospitals

The hospital of the future: Could smart hospitals deliver better healthcare?

  • min read
    • Population growth. Aging nations. A global pandemic. 2020 has been quite some year for the world's healthcare systems. How can they better handle this triple threat? Healthcare needs are getting more complex, and systems more stretched. To meet the demand for precision healthcare, hospitals need to evolve to become smarter and more efficient. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates healthcare will face a shortfall of more than 18 million healthcare professionals globally within the next decade. Is it sustainable to increase the workload of already stretched practitioners? Smart hospitals could make healthcare work more efficient and improve the quality of patient care. Smart hospitals and the rise of e-health Smart hospitals are part of the e-health phenomenon. A smart hospital improves patient care using optimized and automated processes, particularly the Internet of Things (IoT), to connect medical devices to AI and data analysis. Smart tech helps healthcare practitioners focus on providing high-quality care while reducing the barriers associated with using complex medical technology. Smart tech means smarter workflows One figurehead of the smart hospital movement is Humber River Valley Hospital, Canada. It's North America's first fully-digital hospital (think: online appointment scheduling, digital check-ins and your test results emailed.) It boasts robots and other tech to automate almost 80 percent of its back-office services like pharmacy, laundry and food delivery. This gives clinical staff more time to give back to patients. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD,) UAE, uses digital apps to support treatments. Pre-treatment, patients use apps to communicate with staff. During their stay, they use smart pads to access their info, daily plans and order food. At discharge, the app sends prescriptions to local pharmacies then sends them their bill. Neat. Can robots become care workers? Smart tech could help meet labor shortages: this means more android helpers. During the first COVID-19 outbreak, Wuhan Hospital, China, was staffed entirely by robots for several days. Produced by start-up CloudMinds Technology, they improved patient care and gave respite to over-stretched workers. Smart hospitals can automate and digitize traditional, labor-intensive processes. When healthcare is delivered quicker and more accurately, more people can be treated safer and quicker. Consider Johnson Control's Code Blue Activation system; When a patient reaches critical condition, it calls up an emergency care team in just 24 seconds. Could 3D printing replace donors? There's a relatively new tech in smart hospitals: 3D printing. Imagine the opportunities if surgical teams could print body parts, like prosthetic limbs or dental implants, on-demand. While the tech is in its infancy, there are promising advancements, though it's without the speed and capabilities needed for large-scale adoption. Engineers and medical researchers from the University of Minnesota recently created silicon-made scaffolding' that could benefit those with spinal cord injuries by restoring muscle control. Cells are printed onto the structure then implanted into the patient's spinal cord, with a bridge between cells. Can smart hospitals save lives? Given increased healthcare demands, hospitals may not have any choice but to change. Smart hospitals could improve the care we deliver and benefit our societies. But it will be a group effort. Professor Daniel Kelly, Cardiff University's School of Healthcare Sciences, thinks smart hospitals will be crucial for healthcare. But we have to understand how it will affect everyone, including those funding it. "As treatment for many diseases becomes more personalized, there's an urgent need for health systems to evolve. Smart hospitals are symbolic of a future standard of healthcare where we can remove the reliance on paper records and current digital systems' inefficiencies. Securing the smart hospital From sensitive patient information to medical records, it's easy to see why cybersecurity is a hot topic in healthcare. Hospital data and equipment are goldmines for hackers and criminal groups. Those goldmines become all the more accessible when introducing a connected system like a smart hospital. Firstly, traditional medical devices are outdated – they aren't secure by design. This means many wouldn't have been tested for vulnerabilities or built to connect with smart appliances or the internet. (A tough task to foresee the fourth industrial revolution, to be fair.) This gap can allow attackers to gain illegal access to systems and data. A survey by ENISA found the most critical threat to smart hospitals is malicious attacks – like malware blitzes and denial of service (DDoS) raids that take control of systems and devices, steal patient data (most likely to be sold on the dark web) and hold patient data hostage with ransomware. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, attacks on hospitals and health organizations have increased drastically, including this fatality triggered by ransomware in Germany. Human errors still pose one of the biggest threats to patients. Take drug pumps; smart hospitals, or more specifically their workers, deliver controlled doses of medications to patients. These systems prevent over or under-administration, but they have an over-ride button for emergencies. But what if the device isn't configured correctly? Someone could tamper with drug delivery, inadvertently or intentionally, which might have deadly consequences. These technological advancements are not just projects for the IT department: The smart hospital involves participation between technologists and healthcare practitioners. Ongoing collaboration is needed to protect it from cyberthreats to ensure smart systems can save more lives.
Smart agriculture and food

This new tech could help produce enough food for a population of 10 billion

  • min read
    • The UN estimates nearly 10 billion people will inhabit our planet by 2050 – two billion more than today. How will we feed them? With the current population path, global food production must increase by 25 to 70 percent before 2050. It may seem impossible, but 'smart agriculture' is starting to help farmers increase production, lower costs and conserve water. Sensors, satellites and internet-connected tractors Smart agriculture often involves capturing and analyzing data in new ways to give farmers information that helps them make better decisions. For example, smart sensors can give farmers detailed maps of topography, resources and soil temperature. They can use climate forecasts to predict weather patterns in the coming days and weeks – predicting weather is hard in the developing world because weather forecasting infrastructure is less developed. The benefits of smart agriculture's big data use are shaping today's farming more than we might think. Climate Edge uses data capture and analysis to help farmers in the developing world farm better. They're fighting common problems like lack of affordable farm insurance and barriers to joining cooperatives by providing farmers with sensors and data-analyzing equipment. When the challenge is to do more with less, data-driven agriculture has a lot to offer. Internet-connected tractors can ensure no waste through overlap when sowing seeds or spraying. Satellites can monitor crop health and sustainability. It's easy to see why IoT is a hit with farmers. Business Insider Intelligence projects farms will install nearly 12 million agricultural sensors worldwide by 2023. It seems this part of smart agriculture is here to stay. Artificial intelligence in the wild Soil quality is one of the biggest challenges in the way of healthier, more abundant food. In recent decades, agricultural output has fallen by up to 13 percent because of the degradation of two billion hectares of global farmland. Berlin-based agricultural tech startup PEAT is out to solve the problem of degraded soil. PEAT developed Plantix, a deep learning application helping farmers identify soil defects and giving soil restoration advice. It also helps identify and correct plant pests and diseases. Plantix uses deep learning to help farmers identify and solve soil quality problems. It's not all daisy chains and smarter yields, mind. Agriculture 4.0 could help us feed billions sustainably and fairly. But, as with all seismic tech shifts, there are risks. One of those is cybersecurity. The cyber risks for smart farmers These new technologies rely on data and internet connection, opening a world of opportunity for hackers and cybercriminals to disrupt the system. If compromised, smart devices, IoT and connected infrastructure on farms could be controlled from the outside. We could see severe consequences, like turning pesticide-spreading drones against their owners or rendering expensive equipment completely useless. Historically, agricultural sector cyberattacks have been few and far between. The US Council of Economic Advisers reported the agricultural industry experienced just 11 cyber incidents in 2016. That's not to say agricultural cyberattacks won't happen more in future. And it goes beyond farms themselves. Where smart agriculture connects farmers with logistics companies and consumers, disruptions to IT systems in those supply chains, particularly logistics, could have catastrophic effects. For example, delayed shipments could mean spoiled produce, leaving shelves empty and raising prices. It's happened before. The 2017 WannaCry ransomware and Petya malware attack on shipping company Maersk led to a complete IT shutdown, causing 300 million US dollars in losses and a stadium-load of missed deliveries of products agriculture relies upon, from food to fuel. The future of farming is in collecting and analyzing big data to maximize efficiency. With the right regulation and widespread adoption of smart farming, farmers could boost yields to meet incoming population growth. But with any advance in technology must be fully safeguarded before we rely on it.
ATTACHMENT Dglobal cybersecurity priorities

COVID-19 has changed global cybersecurity. What must nations do now?

  • min read
    • During the pandemic, lockdowns and 'shelter in place' orders around the world have done much good. They've not only saved lives, they've shown us our cities without pollution and let businesses realize employees working from home can be more business benefit than business challenge. I spoke about the growing cyberthreat landscape and what we must do about it as part of a high-level leaders discussion on international cybersecurity during the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2020. During the pandemic, cybercriminals used new-found time to hone their skills and test out new methods. We saw a sharp rise in cybercrime of all kinds, from malware to advanced persistent threats (APT.) New hacking groups came on the scene, and with them, new kinds of attacks. New attacks and actors unmasked Here's just a sample of the expansion of cybercrime our researchers detected since the coronavirus pandemic came into our lives. This year we've seen unique malicious file detection rise 20 to 25 percent a day. Most threats, like malware, are relatively easy to deal with. But when what we're seeing is a rise in more professional cybercrime gangs, that's a different story. Kaspersky researchers are now monitoring more than 200 cybercrime gangs who've been launching hyper-targeted attacks against targets such as banks and governments. We've also seen more 'juniors' entering cybercrime. While they're easy to stop now, many will graduate from hacker kindergarten and join the pros. With the increasing use of the internet of things, the number of points where cybercriminals can attack has grown exponentially. We know they're willing and able. Take, for example, one of the most successful global attacks, the 2016 Mirai malware attack on domain name system provider Dyn. It took down hundreds of news websites around the world. How should nations respond to the new threat landscape? The cybersecurity impact of the pandemic has two parts. First, people are at greater risk of cyber-intrusion thanks to working from home and spending more time online. Second, there are more cybercriminals, and they've become better at what they do. Meanwhile, the digital economy has been growing fast. Many businesses decided to use the breathing space and necessity of the pandemic to digitalize new parts of their business. So we're at a place and time when organizations and their customers need to feel confident in these new ways of buying and delivering services. Building that confidence will help economies thrive. So how do we get there? I've got three priorities. Leaders discuss international cybersecurity in the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2020 1. Secure technology by design We can make technologies much more difficult and expensive to compromise, but they must be designed that way from the start. We have operating systems in devices already on the market that are so secure we had to devise a new way of talking about them – so we call this cyber-immunity. The chances of an attack on these systems succeeding means the cost to the criminal of a successful cyberattack is higher than the damage caused. To make critical infrastructure safer, we could deploy cyber-immune technologies across the network. The time to do it is now. 2. Enforcing cybersecurity law on an international level International cooperation is crucial for hunting down cybercriminals, but it looks as though the world isn't going in a 'cooperation' direction – it's becoming more fragmented. We need a space in cybersecurity where nations can cooperate safely, without geopolitical fractures getting in the way. 3. High-level cooperation requires high-level cybersecurity education As well as needing to overcome our differences, international cooperation against cybercrime will require 'cyber diplomats' to stay continually informed about the changing threat landscape. Good news for those imagining a boring slide talk in a dark basement – cybersecurity education keeps pace with innovation and developments in learning science. For example, learning through immersive gamified simulations like Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS) is popular and effective. While the world recovers from the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must recognize much has changed, not least in cyberthreats. We need a new era of international cooperation to hunt cybercriminals. We need to make sure 'cyber diplomats' (those who develop and enforce national and international policy against cybercrime) fully understand the threats. As professional cybercrime gangs hone their skills, I predict we'll see cyberattacks grow at every level, harming business and governments. Thankfully, technology keeps evolving, and no one is powerless. Adopting cyber-immune systems will help nations keep the lights, water and internet running at times of crisis and beyond.
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Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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