Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things

Internet-connected or IoT devices play a significant role in everyday life. This hyperconnectivity represents a constant threat to information technology security. In this article, we will explain the importance of cybersecurity in this type of interconnected technology.

What is cybersecurity?

It may seem that only major corporations fall victim to cybersecurity breaches, but the digital world connects more users and devices every day, which means that the privacy and security of our personal data are increasingly exposed and vulnerable to attack.

Cybersecurity can be defined as the tools and techniques employed to protect Internet-connected systems against threats that could put sensitive user information or company data stored in connected devices at risk. Technological devices connected to the internet can store, transmit and process information that can be targeted in different ways.

The most common types of cyberattack

1. Malware: malicious software that is harmful to systems and is used to invade and damage or disable them. Examples of malware include virus, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware and ransomware.
2. Spoofing and phishing: unlike malware, these two techniques do not involve the use of software. They are methods of deception in which a scammer or hacker disguises their communication as coming from another, trusted source.
3. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): in these attacks, the connection between sender and recipient is hijacked and the server flooded with message packages from multiple computers and internet connections, overloading it and causing it to shut down.

Virtual cloud-based systems and IoT devices are expected to be the most common targets in cyberattacks in the coming years. The increase in the volume of data being stored in cloud-based systems also increases the potential for DDoS attacks, which affect hundreds of thousands of businesses and organizations every year.

Cyberattacks: a growing threat

The European Commission is currently developing its Digital Single Market policy, which aims, among other things, to allow the free circulation of online data in communication networks that comply with the strictest security standards. This common data space is essential to ensure consumer confidence: 33% of Spanish consumers have fallen prey to cyberattacks. According to the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report 2018: Spain is third in the ranking of countries most at risk of cyberattacks, after the USA and the United Kingdom.

INCIBE, the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute founded by the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda, registered a total of 123,064 cybersecurity incidents in 2017, 6.77% more than the previous year. According to its 2017 Report, of these, 16,642 targeted companies and citizens, 885 targeted operators in strategic sectors and 5,537 involved the Spanish academic and research network, RedIRIS.

Taking this data into account, along with the importance given to cybersecurity by the European Commission, it is obvious that users need to assess how well their personal information is protected online. We recommend always using devices that comply with the highest security standards and only operating with reputable companies that will not transfer our data to third parties.

In our case, the Kiversal IoT audiometer, Audixi 10, features a specifically-developed hearing test app and an embedded Linux operating system. To ensure that the software updates are safe and installed correctly, we carry out cryptographic verification using the SHA-256 algorithm. By default,  no files can be run unless an executable property is changed. Moreover, in order to prevent infection by Trojan horses or viruses, external files cannot be launched on the device.

What direction do you think cybersecurity should take in order to protect personal data without compromising on cutting-edge innovation?

Have you ever been targeted by a cyberattack? Feel free to share your experience or your opinion on cybersecurity by leaving a comment here. 🙂