Cooperative Living March/April 2019 - 23

WebTalk | by Paul Wesslund, Contributing Writer
How to master the Internet of Things
by taking control of your smart devices
I
f you ever want to see one of the biggest changes going on in the
world today, look around your home. Your smartphone, video
game, security camera, fitness bracelet, thermostat and even your
TV could be part of a vast, interconnected group of devices that goes
by the clunky name of the Internet of Things.
The term refers to anything connected to the internet, which covers
a lot of gadgets, and will soon be covering even more. Today, you can
purchase light bulbs that dim with the sound of your voice or from the
press of a button on your smartphone. You can start your car remotely.
A 2014 report by the investment firm Goldman Sachs predicted the
number of internet-connected devices could grow 10 times by 2020,
to as many as 28 billion " things. "
While this growth may seem like the latest trend, it was recognized
more than 30 years ago. Credit for naming it has gone to Peter T. Lewis,
co-founder of Cellular One. In a 1985 speech, he said, " The Internet
of Things, or IoT, is the integration of people, processes and technology
with connectable devices and sensors to enable remote monitoring
status, manipulation and evaluation of trends of such devices. "
Low Prices vs. Security
In other words, the rapid rise in the number of internet-connected
devices has been building for decades.
The Internet of Things is the latest buzzword that reflects a longterm
trend. Ten years ago, you may have had six or eight or 10 devices
on the wireless router in your home. Now, that number can go as high
as 25 or 30 devices.
Lower costs are largely responsible for this high-tech revolution
that can make life more convenient and fun, and even increase energy
efficiency with new ways to control heating, cooling, lighting and
other uses of electricity.
Twenty years ago, you might only be able to
afford an ethernet port or Wi-Fi in a computer.
Now, it costs literally only pennies to include that
capability in any device imaginable.
So what's changing is the number of devices.
Once you have a critical mass of all the places that
are capable of communicating, they can then start
communicating with each other. All of this
promises convenience and services, but in the
pursuit of extremely low costs, sometimes there's
the opportunity to cut corners on security.
A stunning example of security problems with
the Internet of Things happened in October 2016
when hackers crashed dozens of websites in the
United States for most of a day, including wellknown
names like Netflix and Twitter. Incredible
as it seems, that attack may have been aided by a
device in your own home.
Here's what happened Friday, Oct. 21: Hackers
had already scanned the world for devices vulnerable
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March-April 2019 | Cooperative Living | 21
to infection by malicious software that allowed them to take control of
hundreds of thousands of home routers, baby monitors, printers and
network-enabled cameras. Using that " botnet, " the hackers flooded
websites with so many messages the sites shut down for several
hours in what is called a " Denial of Service " attack.
Cyber Safety Tips
There are ways you can reduce your risk from hackers hijacking your
internet-connected devices, says Cynthia Hsu, cyber security program
manager with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
" Understand what you're buying, " Hsu says. " If you have a choice
between two vendors who are producing a product and one takes
security seriously and the other doesn't, use your money to buy a
product that takes security seriously. If consumers are not willing to
pay for security, the manufacturers have no incentive to build it. "
Hsu cautions, " The criminal element is rapidly escalating the
innovation of new ways of attack. " If you have a router for wireless
internet in your home, " Hsu says, " make sure you patch your router's
software whenever security updates are available so it's protected as
new vulnerabilities are discovered. "
Other Security Steps Hsu Recommends:
* Install firewalls in your home network.
* Change the default passwords regularly in devices you purchase.
* Disconnect gadgets when they're not being used. " Not everything
needs to be plugged into the internet all the time, " she says. 
Paul Wesslund writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation's
900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives.
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living March/April 2019

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