You’re only as strong as your weakest point, and this is especially true for cybersecurity, where automated brute force attacks can barrage your network. As more devices in your home get connected to the internet (hello, smart oven!), they represent more opportunities for hackers to gain access to your home network to use your connected devices for botnet attacks or worse.
The growing importance of security is the reason we held the Hacking the Oven, Cybersecurity and the Connected Kitchen panel at our 2019 Smart Kitchen Summit this month. It was led by The Internet of Things Podcast host Stacey Higginbotham and featured Gonda Lamberink, Cybersecurity Senior Business Development Manager at UL, and Steve Nackers, Manager, Electronic Controls at Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
You should watch the full video of the panel below, but for the TL;DR crowd, here are three big takeaways:
Proper security comes from having a corporate culture that values it. Security isn’t something that you just tack onto a product as near its final release. It needs to be baked in as a core component from the very beginning.
Both manufacturers and consumers have a role to play. Manufacturers need to make sure they are building secure devices (no chips directly on boards) and that over-the-air updates are easy to install. Consumers too need to take responsibility for their role in owning a connected device (change those passwords!).
Security is a process, not an endpoint. There is no secure today = secure tomorrow in cybersecurity. Connected kitchen appliance manufacturers need to stay up to date on vulnerabilities and have a plan to address them as they come up.
As the panelists agreed, just as we see an Energy Star rating sticker on appliances that are more electricity efficient today, it won’t be long until we something similar that touts a device’s security. As more consumers become aware of cybersecurity, the more they will demand it.
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