It all started in the recent past when a Mirai botnet took down major websites like Twitter and Spotify through another notorious DDoS attack.
The malware once again confirmed the fears of naysayers that smart devices are not trustworthy. The recent attack hit hard on the concepts of smart homes and smart cities. In other words, the concept of IoT or say, IoE (Internet of Everything) got the blow with the Mirai incident.
If a few thousand devices with poor security standards can shut down half the world’s Internet, then we simply cannot expect anything useful or productive from them. The incident has cleared one thing: if we want to make the IoT concept popular, then we must take steps for enhancing their security and enabling consumers to feel safe about all the IoT devices.
Now comes the real point: monetization of concept. We must ascertain the security and ability of the product to meet the basic requirements of consumers before monetizing any product. This rule of thumb is applicable to IoT devices also.
Let’s take an example of smart home devices: consumers seek security from smart devices while taking their assistance in finishing daily activities. Even if these devices work well, the consumers may not retain them if their privacy is compromised. In other words, safety outweighs performance when it comes to IoT devices, and such devices would help you garner profit only if they remain ‘true’ to your consumers.
Collective responsibility
Every stakeholder, from clients to platform providers, of IoT domain is accountable for ensuring the safety of IoT devices. Anyone associated with making any connective devices must be aware of the significance of security.
The implementation of security-related aspects starts with a minute step: not allowing any devices to leave the factory with generic, easy-to-guess usernames and passwords because they pose major security threats like Mirai.
As the IoT concept is spreading, both individual consumers and enterprises should also behave responsibly for eliminating all the security-related risks. At times, companies become so desperate to try IoT devices that they do not give enough time for understanding the basics.
While jumping on the IoT bandwagon, some of the companies unintentionally or accidentally give access to critical data to the persons with malicious intentions.
The Mirai-like attack is an outcome of collective ignorance and individual malpractices, and the incident points out the requirement of putting security in the first place.
Zero tolerance on security breach
Security is a core aspect of any IoT device. Developers must act on implementing security parameters to prevent a wild outburst of DDoS and other cyber attacks.
We have an example of Facebook. The social media giant Facebook has maintained a zero-tolerance approach for cyberattacks since its inception, and today, it is the most popular social media site across the world. Refusal of annoying ads or spam on the user’s timeline has paid well to date. Facebook, though used by over a billion users, has remained relatively safer than its peers because of its defiant approach against hackers.
Just like the case of Facebook, the IoT devices are also expected to be safe while assisting the users. People look beyond the basics as the concept gains ground.
Wrap up
The real value of IoT devices lies in the bottom line made up of security and performance. The vast ocean of the Internet has many ‘things’ floating in it- PCs, smartphones, and smart devices. They enhance our productivity while bringing profits for manufacturers, but manufacturers have to offer value to the users before gaining profit out of them.
All the internet-connected devices are set to transform our lives, but at the same time, they require our careful attention and collective efforts to serve us in a secure manner.
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