OPINION
25
The Internet of Things
isn’t coming:
it’s here
By Jan Hof, International
Marketing Director at ForeScout
Technologies, Inc.
www.forescout.com
Unmanaged devices have long been present on networks, but as more
and more IoT devices are connected there’s a growing need to protect
the vulnerabilities they present
There is a long tail of common Internet of Things (IoT)
devices connected to networks today that are inherently
unsecured: video surveillance systems including webcams,
scanners, door-security alarms, smart TVs, fire alarms,
lighting controls, point of sale devices, medical devices,
SCADA devices – the list continues. What’s more, the first
documented security incident is already a fact of life –
webcams being used by hackers to attack websites.
The Internet of Things (IoT) often seems to be a
futuristic and exotic concept. People typically have images
of robots, self-driving cars, automated workplaces and
wearables, such as smartwatches in mind when thinking
about IoT. However, the Internet of Things isn’t coming, it’s
already here and its use will be broader than anyone can
imagine today.
Our world is already loaded with Things. And, as in life,
it’s often the simple things that matter most. Consider
the lowly printer as a case in point. For decades, a printer
was no more than an automated typewriter attached to a
computer. There was no inherent intelligence and very little
complication. But then came an evolution to multifunction
and network devices. Scanning, faxing and copying
capabilities were added, along with both wired and then
wireless networking. As with all other devices, the increase
in options and capabilities comes with a commensurate
increase in complexity and processing power. And this
complexity and processing power means that rather than
being an extension of a well-controlled computing device,
the device itself is an integral part of the network, and, as
such, it must be secured.
So what makes a printer – or any device – a thing rather
than a computer? One of the primary distinctions is the lack
of a well defined user interface and an accompanying ability
to have full-blown security and/or security agents present.
There is a long tail of common IoT devices connected
to networks today that are inherently unsecured: video
surveillance systems including webcams, scanners, doorsecurity alarms, smart TVs, fire alarms, lighting controls,
point of sale devices, medical devices, SCADA devices – the
list continues. What’s more, the first documented security
incident is already a fact of life – webcams being used by
hackers to attack websites.
The concept of unmanaged devices being connected to
the network in itself is not new. The first wave of devices
that really changed the way companie