At 11:10 UTC on 21st October 2016, half of the Internet went down due to
a large Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) on a major Domain Name Systems (DNS) host, Dyn. According to
Flashpoint, the culprits utilised the same method used in
another DDoS attack earlier this year on KrebsOnSecurity, making use of the increasing integrated network between devices, naming the Internet of Things (IoT). I'm no IT expert and I have no intention to explain the terms which I myself had to read up on, but you would not need to really understand them for the content of this post. The definition of IoT though, is important. It basically means objects and devices connected to the Internet can collect data from and exchange data with one another. The issue I want to discuss today is human's dependence on the Internet and the risks we are taking everyday by over-relying on the invisible network, which is materialised in the form of IoT.
Imagining a world without Internet is not easy when almost every aspect of our life is enabled and empowered by it. Internet itself is part of the technological advancement mankind has been continuously striving for in order to achieve higher standards of living, but while it is complementing and enhancing all the other technologies and improvements, it is also controlling them. Physical maps have long become obsolete in the appearance of digital maps and the Global Positioning System (GPS). The same story is true for paper letters and emails, CD/DVD and streaming services, SMS and messaging apps, the list goes on. The Internet has brought a new level of efficiency and convenience that all developers and inventors need to keep in mind while coming up with their next innovation. More businesses are holding virtual conferences, more hospitals are equipping IoT devices for better management, more police and intelligence forces require updated databases for their duties. The Internet is essential in all procedures from personal to local to national and international levels. Knowing this the disappearance of the Internet would cause astronomical damages, just like being hit by a meteor.
IoT devices are often referred to as 'smart' objects because they tell us things we don't know at a much faster rate than if we are to find out ourselves. Languages can't even evolve fast enough to cope with this influx of 'smart' everything, as 'smartphone' and 'smartwatch' are recognised as words but 'smartbrand' isn't, yet. In the near future chairs, spoons, washing machines and anything that can be connected will be connected to the giant grid of IoT and suddenly gain intelligence and start making commands. Censors in your IoT toothbrush will report any dental problem then send the information to your computer to book an check-up appointment when you are still washing your mouth. If being watched by CCTV is not anxious enough, your face-mask will soon be able to send analysis of your cough and in minutes you will be on your way to isolation. Convenience and privacy have always had a rocky relationship, and the rampant growth of IoT quickly elevates the former at the expense of the latter.
The downside of having everything attached to our bodies and in our possession connected to the Internet only presents itself, when other parties with technological capability and some ulterior motives carry out socially and legally undesirable activities causing inconveniences and disturbances. Cyber crimes are carried out by people who understand the fragility of our society and make use of the fact that communities and their members no longer function properly without being interconnected. The motive can vary from personal benefits to vigilante acts or just pranks to showcase ones' hacking prowess. People do whatever they want anyway. We should not even waste time worrying if imminent attacks are coming. They definitely are, despite IT companies and experts' constant effort in upgrading security protocols and measures. Are we all doomed then, if there is a possibility that one day the infrastructures and systems supporting our daily routines are paralysed and we are at the complete mercy of some geeks wearing hoodies? Not certainly, if we start to factor that possibility in every action we take and adopt a mindset of coexisting with the Internet, not leaving every aspect of our life to it.
Some might argue it is impossible for mankind to backtrack to previous states of development prior to the inventions of key technologies like the Internet, electricity, steam engines, and survive. Some others would play down habitual and contextual factors and simply base on the fact that our predecessors did survive without most of the cool modern ideas, so even if the Internet disappear tomorrow we would not follow dinosaurs' footsteps too quickly. Taking a side would require endless discussion and convincing which ultimately would most likely not result in any agreement, precisely why I tend not to do so, not anymore at least. The relevant question is not whether we can survive without the Internet, but how we do so.
As a heavy user of the Internet and IoT devices, I would not wish for more and more detrimental cyber attacks to occur, this blog will just vanish you see. However, I believe we all need to prepare the necessary mentality in case such a situation happens. We need to manage our Internet usage and sought out alternatives for the functions we use it for, effectively reducing our reliance on having stable and secure Internet connections for our devices and systems all the time. Such a mindset would also reduce the frequency and magnitude of attacks, as the harm-doers would have less to gain. Most things people do are to create an impact or trigger a reaction, and a less than dramatic response to the collapse of Google or other seemingly indispensable Internet providers would deplete the motivation to cause such a scenario in the first place. Uncle Ben taught us that great powers must be managed with great responsibility, and IoT must be managed through all of our effort, for no single individual or group can handle it alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment