Although a huge 87% of people allegedly do not know what the Internet of Things is, it is safe to say that the percentage will be reduced soon. As described by USA Today, IoT "simply means that an object has embedded sensors in it and the ability to send the collected data to the outside, usually via Wi-Fi or Internet."
With more devices connected than ever, the IoT is constantly expanding. CES this year was an indicator that, as the connected devices have been a huge topic at the event. With all these new devices and data collection and transmission as the IoT also brings many risks to privacy.
As described in US News, "supposedly the Internet ecosystem objects allow hackers to do physical damage through these connected devices." It was also reported that many devices include little or no collateral and privacy settings, with popular devices like the nest and Belkin WeMo Switch particularly vulnerable. Many experts warn that both devices and networks must be safer to take account of the IoT expanding. There are also concerns about how the data collected from the IoT is used, sold and shared.
A recent article by ZDNet reported that the chief US intelligence believes that the IoT "could lead to widespread vulnerabilities in civil infrastructure and US government systems." This came out of an assessment the threat was delivered to the armed Services Committee of the US Senate in early February. He also said: "In the future, the intelligence services can use the IoT to the identification, monitoring, control, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or have access to networks or user identification information. "the report also contained examples of how devices such as TVs, baby monitors and potential home automation products could be used to conduct surveillance.
IoT has become even more frightening recently when Shodan, a search engine for the IoT has been highlighted in the news. as described by Vocativ "Shodan is a site that scans the Internet for devices accessible to the public and capture their addresses, creating a search index that includes everything from home surveillance cameras at traffic lights to heart monitors fetal IP power switches for hospitals. Essentially one of the so-called Internet of things that do not have a password is set, and it was more devices than you think. " means that users can browse vulnerable webcams, then log on to the Web cameras and see what they record. This is obviously a huge violation and alarming privacy feature that came to following the IoT.
So what can you do?
Like many Privacy- related issues, the first step is awareness. It is important to be aware of your connected devices, how they work and what vulnerabilities they may contain. once you understand the risks, you can work to make more informed decisions on the use of these devices.
another thing you can do is to use a VPN to encrypt the Internet connection on your home network, and thereby protect the connected devices in it. VyprVPN Router can help you achieve this, and you can Read more here.
Learn more about the IoT, Shodan and privacy in the sources listed below.
Sources: Ars Technica, US News, Vocativ, USA Today
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