STANDARDS IN FOCUS...STANDARD - PROTECTING OUR PRIVACY AND DATA

STANDARDS IN FOCUS…STANDARD – PROTECTING OUR PRIVACY AND DATA

Mar 19, 2017 News

As consumers and users of technology, we are often distracted by the amazing features of the Internet of Things that we don’t even take a minute to think about what this means for our privacy and security. Thankfully, in addition to other measures, international standards exist which can help to protect our privacy and security if implemented.
Certainly, the use today of modern technologies like a connected baby monitor can give parents peace of mind, letting them easily check on their children from their smartphones anytime, anywhere. But when this technology is not protected, we may be inadvertently exposing ourselves and our loved ones.
Indeed, spying on random strangers has never been easier. All it takes is a search engine like Shodan – the Google of the Internet of Things (IoT) – which, to highlight the risk of this technology, crawls the net taking pictures of unprotected devices—the inside of our homes, our family routines, our pets, etc.
The Internet of Things refers to billions of connected smart devices routinely exchanging volumes of data with each other about how we live, work and play. “They purport to make our lives easier, healthier and smarter, and our businesses more productive, but this often comes with a cost,” says Prof. Edward Humphreys, Convenor of the ISO/IEC working group on information security management systems.
“We want to believe in these technologies because of everything that allows us to do. But we have to be aware of the consequences for the security and privacy of our data.”
For example, in your excitement to buy the latest voice-activated smart television, you may fail to consider that this technology needs to be able to “listen” to everything you are saying so it can recognize the right commands. If this stays between you and your TV, then what’s the harm, right? More often than not, however, the communication channels that enable devices to exchange information are not encrypted or otherwise protected from external access. “It’s pretty much like leaving your door open; anyone can walk in anytime, “says Humpherys.
If customers don’t understand or demonstrate interest in data privacy, manufacturers won’t either because they know we won’t base our purchasing decisions on those features – we are more likely to buy a webcam because of compatibility, price or even looks! Research by Consumers International shows that the average person spends six seconds looking at the terms and conditions before ticking the consent box, so why should companies bother?
The World Consumers Day theme for 2017 “Building a digital world consumers can trust” reminds and cautions consumers of their role in protecting their online information. As such, we all need to think of security in IoT like a vaccine. If we are not protected, we risk passing it on to others. The more we protect or “vaccinate” our devices with strong security techniques, the better for all of us.
“This is why I cannot emphasize enough the importance of using information security and privacy standards”, explains Humphreys.
Standards like ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002 provide a common language to address governance, risk and compliance issues related to information security. ISO/IEC 27031 and ISO/IEC 27035 help organizations to effectively respond, diffuse and recover from cyber-attacks.
There are also ISO/IEC standards defining encryption and signature mechanisms that can be integrated into products and applications to protect online transactions, credit card usage and stored data.

For further information on this subject, call the GNBS on Telephone number: 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit the Bureau’s website: www.gnbsgy.org

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