INTERNET OF THINGS POSES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CYBER CRIME
says the FBI.
That’s a fair call. It does.
But it also puts the onus of security around these IoT devices on the user, not the manufacturer or developer.
I’m not sure where I land on this, because on the one hand I’d like to see that the manufacturer/developer (“them”) made sure the product was in fact safe, and if it’s not safe, then to make it so.
On the other hand, it’s good for the end user (“us”) to be proactively involved in their own security.
I’m not saying “we” (as a collective user base) need to fully understand it, but we should understand its implications, and what we could do to prevent bad things happening.
The problem is hardly anybody really understands security and even the need to change default passwords, or keep software up to date, let alone router settings and firewalls. And I don’t really like the thought of saying, “it’s ‘your’ fault,” even though clearly, it is, when someone has installed the latest so-called “virus scanning software” which itself is malware.
If “we” weren’t so stupid, you wouldn’t need warnings like this. But people every day are still falling prey to Nigerian scams and the like, or losing their identity or all their finances. It is very sad. But it’s more sad when it’s your own fault.
Security starts at home.
I don’t know who said that, but it’s true. Security starts with you. Be wise to the goings on of your devices, or really, don’t use them. If you don’t know why something “needs” the internet, turn it off until you do. A bit of education here goes a long way.
Maybe we need a “help out those who can’t help themselves, on the internet” day, where we all lend a hand to those less tech-savvy. Unfortunately, that’s almost everyone I meet.
Read the full PSA on the FBI’s Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3) website (which incidentally will inform you that October is “National Cyber Security Awareness Month“).