Is IoT facing a credibility crisis due internet security fears?

We ask is the ever rising number of cyber attacks, from DOS, bots, ransomware, through to hacking across the internet making potential IoT users think twice before adoption?

Our evidence from speaking to leaders in Rail, Water, Utilities and the Environment is absolutely yes, many not only fear the strategic consequences of a successful attack but moor so the impact on their careers should a decision they have taken end up in disaster.

Unfortunately, one fact us indisputable, nobody can ever be 100% certain that anything connected to the internet is 100% cyber secure or immune from a DOS attack. The weakness of the internet, is that it omnipresent, globally connected and accessible, the protocols and standards are open and how simply can you stop the insider who has had enough?

As a consequence, we feel that there is a large number of business sectors that should never connect their systems and devices to the Internet even via private VPN.

Our golden rules for creating a cyber secure IoT / Telemetry Platform Include:

• Prevent DOS at the sensors  …… Do not connect to the Internet and if you do make the communications one way – out and not in so you can send but not receive.
• To Prevent Ransomware …… Imbed operating code in FLASH that is not remotely re-configurable – spend time to get it right we do and in 25-years of coding have never had to visit site to change code.
• To Prevent Cyber Attack ……. Communicate using a non-standard protocol format, this really gets them as its not in their rule book – security by obscurity
• In Europe ensure GDPR Compliance ……. Anomalies all data and use a push -one way protocol such has Hypercat /PAS212. If you are on projects such as AMR then have a stagger in the data uploads to anybody intercepting the data doesn’t know if this is live or delayed – AMR data if real time is a great way to let thieves know who is home and away – don’t be the one that gives them that info.