Ahead of the Curb: Security measures to take before potential IoT boom

The emergence of large-scale use of Internet of Things (IoT) – a digital network of devices that may be used to record and transmit data – may extend the horizons of internet technology indefinitely. Social networks currently allow people to connect and interact with one another digitally. When the IoT becomes commercially available, it will give individuals the opportunity to interact with devices, and devices the ability to interact with each other on a network that would dwarf the magnitude of today’s cloud. Due to its projected pervasiveness in the global market, it is not surprising that this is – and will continue to be – a hot topic beyond IT.

Although the IoT is still in its embryonic stage, it will ultimately enable sensory data to be transmitted on a macroscopic scale. All the amassed information must then be consolidated and subsequently used to make virtually every process in our daily lives more efficient. Because of this emergence, the market necessitates a means of optimally organizing data and sustaining network interoperability.

Interconnectedness is a fundamental aspect of this technology; public and private information will constitute the IoT to a greater extent than it does on the cloud. The increase in cloud profitability appears to may have enticed the current volume of hackers – today, hacking is a one-trillion dollar black market. The IoT’s growth will likely be matched by a high volume of hacking attempts. Moreover, if almost every single ‘thing’ in the world becomes interconnected, one network breach provides a hacker with access to all products on the IoT – which, according to a 2015 McKinsey Global Institute report, will be billions of devices.[1]

What Does This Mean For You?

Wilson Consulting Group (WCG) offers penetration testing and a cybersecurity assessment in order to identify potential vulnerabilities in a client’s digital network. Not only is this approach minimally disruptive, but it does not carry the risk of erasing any network data. Penetration tests are characterized in the following primary functional consulting and technical support areas: vulnerability scans against all systems and devices which have been agreed in the scope of the vulnerability and penetration risk assessment, application assessments and penetration tests against selected host systems that have been identified as vulnerable during the vulnerability assessment phase, attempt an unauthorized access on identified vulnerable host systems, assess the firewalls, routers and security configuration of host devices to assess whether the best security practices are implemented. Once completed, WCG security consultants will deliver a report of the findings, offering a pronounced view of the network’s weaknesses. Clients may then follow up by investing in the appropriate, cutting edge solutions and services that WCG offers to bridge these gaps and minimize digital security vulnerability. If implemented, our clients will gain an edge as digital security use increases along with the highly anticipated advent of the mass-incorporation of the IoT.

[1]http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/The_Internet_of_Things_The_value_of_digitizing_the_physical_world