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Author: Mike Nelson

  • Why Trust and Integrity Are Critical to IoT

    Why Trust and Integrity Are Critical to IoT

    We hear a lot about how the IoT is transforming people’s work and daily lives, but for me, its impact goes deeper. As a Type I diabetic, I depend on data from an IoT device to stay healthy. If I can’t trust my latest blood sugar reading, the results can be catastrophic. Health care use cases like mine represent some of the many examples that underscore the importance of data integrity. Stacey Higgenbotham expressed it perfectly in a recent post: “If a business or consumers can’t trust the data, the IoT fails.”

    The IoT is all about making better, more informed decisions, and data is the foundation that makes those decisions possible. As the IoT gains maturity, we’re seeing its impact across more and more industries and use cases. 

    In agriculture, smart sensors are in widespread use for real-time crop monitoring to help farmers track the state of their products. Tools like motion detectors, light detectors and moisture sensors can be brought together to support predictive analysis and enable smarter, more automated decisions. IoT sensors are also tracking the location and health of livestock to help farmers detect disease outbreaks and isolate animals if needed. 

    Most of us have seen how the IoT has revolutionized the safety and efficiency of the home, providing unprecedented control over appliances, heating and cooling systems, smart metering and lighting. Security cameras, alarm systems and smart locks are strengthening physical security and bringing residents peace of mind. As these smart home systems mature, they are also becoming increasingly integrated, personalized and automated.

    The global pandemic is also helping shape IoT adoption. Forrester predicts that manufacturers, pharmaceutical firms and utilities are increasingly switching to remote experts and technicians for support. To manage and repair their assets without extended downtime and costly travel, these industries have begun connecting previously disconnected machines.

    What do these diverse use cases have in common? Without trusted data from connected sensors and devices, all of them become vulnerable and the decisions they support become questionable. Inaccurate moisture data from a sensor could cause a farmer’s crops to fail. A compromised smart lock could leave a home vulnerable to theft. In a manufacturing environment, inaccurate telemetry from a connected machine could lead to factory floor shutdowns or damaged assets. The positive business outcomes enabled by the IoT all hinge on working with accurate, timely and trusted data.

    Signing Is Key to Strengthening IoT Data Integrity

    Establishing data trust should be top of mind for IoT device manufacturers, and it is imperative that they take steps to ensure that data is not being manipulated in transit or at rest. This protection applies not only to data packets exchanged by the devices and applications but firmware updates and supply chain processes.

    The recent executive order signed by president Biden underscores the need for measures like code signing. Focused on improving the nation’s cybersecurity, the EO presented guidelines and general best practices for federal departments, agencies and contractors. However, its impact is also likely to extend to technology and infrastructure companies. 

    Some of the strongest direction in the EO is intended to improve the security of software as well as supply chains for technology manufacturers. The order establishes baseline security standards for the development of software sold to the government, including requirements for improved visibility into that software and making security data publicly available. The order acknowledges that too many devices and software releases contain vulnerabilities that bad actors could exploit. 

    Effective Code Signing Requires Strong Management 

    Fortunately, a proven solution is available today to help manufacturers ensure data authenticity, confidentiality and trust for their IoT solutions. Best practices like code signing can help manufacturers bake security into each and every stage of their development processes. By applying digital signatures, organizations can assume full control of their development. They can confirm the integrity of their code before it moves further along in the development cycle and is put out in the field for devices and their customers. 

    Code signing is only as effective as the processes and best practices that support its implementation. To make the most of digital signatures, developers and engineers need a holistic approach to management. The signing process should be seamlessly built into their development processes to simplify and ease adoption. 

    A common management platform should enable manufacturers to fully protect private key usage and signatures, as well as monitor and manage access to digital keys. The process should also enable organizations to support granular monitoring of their code signing processes and include historical tools like reporting and auditing for full accountability and compliance. With a process in place to continually sign firmware, software updates and other components that can ensure data integrity in device interactions, manufacturers can be assured that their IoT solutions will work as intended, using data their end customers can trust. 

    There’s no question that as the IoT continues to extend deeper into our business and personal lives, the importance of data integrity is also rising. The stakes will only increase as more systems, processes and life-or-death decisions rely on trusted IoT data. To sustain the soaring growth of IoT use cases and solutions, it’s up to manufacturers to build security into the supply chain. With a strong data foundation underpinning today’s rapid innovation, the potential of the IoT revolution is limitless.

  • Data: the New Currency That Accelerates Business

    Data: the New Currency That Accelerates Business

    The amount of data created every day is staggering: 2.5 quintillion (that’s 18 zeros) bytes, to be exact. And that number is growing exponentially, thanks to mass deployments of internet of things (IoT) networks and devices. Cisco Systems estimates that by the end of 2019, IoT will generate more than 500 zettabytes of data per year. In the past two years alone, 90% of all the world’s collected data was generated.

    If it’s hard to imagine that such staggering volumes of data can be generated so quickly, just look around. There are IoT devices in our homes, vehicles, business offices, hospitals, shopping malls and parking lots and along highways, each generating and collecting data. Myriad sensors, cameras and listening devices collect human-generated data. Such devices are pervasive, and the number of data-capturing sources are making the information collected about us ubiquitous.

    Value vs. Privacy

    One might say we are human data machines. So, is data the measure of a person? While this is a relatively new phenomena, data has always been available about our activities, likes, dislikes, motivations and more—it just hasn’t been collected, aggregated and analyzed in the way it is today. It’s like we’ve discovered a vast vein of data gold that has always been hidden beneath the surface.

    IoT is becoming big business. Yet, the real value of IoT is in the data, as meaningful insights are derived and then leveraged for a business advantage. With artificial intelligence, automation and business intelligence, the more data collected, the smarter the applications become and companies gain more insights, increasing the value of data. However, there are legitimate security and privacy concerns as organizations collect our information, most often without our knowledge.

    Data is becoming the currency that drives our economies and a motivation manipulator that impacts our societies, with both good and bad results. If data represents currency, as it helps companies achieve greater revenue and efficiencies, how can consumers be in control of their own data and share in its rewards? How can they make sure their information is not put in the hands of those who want to use it for ill-gotten gains at their expense? These, and other important questions, need answers and solutions that protect consumers, as we look for innovative ways to put a boundary around our personal digital vaults before our data enters the marketplace.

    As consumers, do we care that this data is being collected? Is the benefit of receiving free services worth the price of our information? What should consumers do to make sure their data isn’t used in ways they don’t agree to? Perhaps consumers should expect companies to include them in their revenue-sharing. If they want to share in their data monetization, those collecting the data should ensure the data is protected and private, with full data-use transparency.

    Data Value Directly Related to Data Integrity

    When malicious actors gain access to data, not only does it put us at risk, but it also can lower the value of data. Consider this scenario of a hacker gaining access to data from the insurance company’s network-connected device in your car: The data on that device could have lowered your premium, but the hacker changed the information to show much higher speeds and extreme braking, then threatened you to pay a ransom or risk the hacker sending the altered data to the insurance company. In this case, because the IoT device was hacked, the financial impact of your data changed from a financial advantage to a financial disadvantage. Remember, data value is directly related to its integrity.

    There are two important things we must consider regarding IoT data. The first is to consider how the data is being secured. Is it encrypted while in transit? Are encryption and authentication deployed to prevent unauthorized users from accessing data when it is stored at rest? The second consideration is around privacy. How is the data being used and shared? Is sensitive data that we want protected being consumed and shared? Are device manufacturers providing consumers with transparency regarding whether and how their data is being used? Without establishing firm foundations in security, privacy and transparency, the protection and the monetization of our data will continue to be out of our control.

    — Mike Nelson