The proliferation of smart devices in our lives demonstrates the penetration of information technology into daily life. The term ‘smart device’ encompasses a wide range of electronic tools from those principally manipulated by humans, such as smartphones, to those constitutive elements of today’s “ubiquitous computing,” including pervasive sensors and extensive routine data production. These devices are often not clearly understood and might not be regarded as safety hazards by their users. To assess the potential risks from smart devices, it is essential to consider the security aspects of these technologies.
A recent technological paradigm called the Internet of Things (IoT) promotes interconnectivity between devices through a variety of different connectivity methods. Among these, the most common are smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices, as well as connected home systems like cameras, speakers, light bulbs and thermostats. Other devices, such as smart traffic lights or GPS systems in cars, enable the real-time monitoring of environmental conditions and adjust accordingly.
According to the IoT paradigm, in order for a device to be considered smart it must have three main features: context-awareness, autonomy and device connectivity. The first feature is based on the fact that IoT devices need to be connected to a network in order for them to be intelligent, therefore a device in isolation is not smart.
The second feature is related to the fact that IoT devices should be able to produce and store indexical data, i.e. data allowing the identification of a particular set of data from other, possibly heterogeneous data sets. This allows smart devices to respond to a user’s command by performing the required action in an appropriate manner. In addition to this, IoT devices should log all internet connections so that any anomalies can be spotted and investigated.