From the Jetsons to the internet of things

Smart technologies are now integral to our lives, but vigilance is essential, Adam Sultan says.

It’s been more than 50 years since The Jetsons’ self-flying cars first appeared in living rooms across North America — introducing the illusion of a technological utopia with integrated artificial intelligence (AI), voice-recognition, advanced robotics and automation technology so smart that your fridge, wardrobe and toilet paper could be re-stocked on demand. These technologies are now integral in our lives. They connect people and countries, underpin our economy and are driving dramatic change within industries. And this increase in internet of things (IoT) — connected everyday objects that communicate with both internal and external environments — is vastly complicating the current networked landscape. IoT proliferation is increasing the networking capabilities of devices in our homes, offices, vehicles, factories and supply chains. But this explosion of new tech is also causing cyber risk to rise sharply. It’s predicted that by the year 2050 the number of connected devices will exceed 50 billion. Many IoT adopters are taking this new-found connectivity for granted and deploying it without any caution or consideration for the serious security implications. We’ve reached a point where it’s become irresponsible and, in some cases, illegal not to have security protocols in place. No matter the intricacy of the protection system, a network can never be fully immune from an IoT-based attack. That’s especially true as big data platforms implement application program interfaces (APIs) to broaden the connection abilities of devices to more ecosystems. The 2018 EY Global Information Security Survey (GISS) found that — despite an awareness of risk — only 36 per cent of Canadian companies have a formal data-protection program in place. Out of that number, only 17 per cent believe their information security function is actually meeting their organization’s needs. There’s a lot of room for improvement; and the advantages for the company and the public are significant. Every device connected with IoT adds another access point for cyber criminals to breach our personal devices and potentially steal sensitive data. Think of it this way, embedding IoT is like adding more doors to your home. Convenient, maybe, but it dramatically increases the chance a burglar getting in. And what are they after? Survey results show that the No. 1 target of cyber criminals is customers’ personal identifiable information and passwords. With more personal data at risk through IoT, companies need to evolve their cybersecurity and privacy strategies to protect Canadians. Consumers also have a big role to play in protecting their own data — and understanding the risk associated with what they voluntarily share. Our personal information has an enormous value and, as such, we need to be selective about what we give out and to whom. Building your individual defence strategy is also important. Start with improving password complexity on your devices and choose vendor solutions that support multi-factor authentication to add an additional layer of security. Cyber threats are dynamic and continuous — so it’s crucial to remain vigilant. The good news is that new legislation means Canadians will be better informed when their personal data is compromised. As of November, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act requires companies to notify individuals when a cyber incident occurs, including the type of incident, when it happened, how it may affect them and what they’re doing to remediate the situation. No one will ever be able to prevent 100 per cent of cyber-attacks, but through careful due diligence, it’s possible to competitively outpace the threat with early detection and powerful response tactics. Rest assured, you’ll sleep a little better knowing your data security and personal information is protected.