The Dangers of the Internet of Things (IoT)

Are you ready for a future where not just your smartphone,  desktop, laptop computer or tablet is connected to the Internet but also your cars, electronic appliances(home theatre, TV etc.), lights in household and commercial environments, alarm clocks, speaker systems, washing machines, microwaves, sandwich makers/toasters, blenders etc. are connected to the Internet? 

In the near future, you may no longer need to remember to turn the oven off when the cake is done or switch on lights when you enter a room. Your home will do it for you. These products are part of the Internet of Things (IoT), aimed at automating our lives by connecting mobile devices to appliances, lights, and just about everything.

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems. IoT extends internet connectivity beyond traditional devices like desktop and laptop computers, smartphones and tablets to a diverse range of devices and everyday things that utilize embedded technology to communicate and interact with the external environment, all via the Internet.

Simply put, IoT is a computing concept that describes a future where every day physical objects will be connected to the Internet and be able to identify themselves to other devices. Most of us think about being connected in terms of computers, tablets and smartphones. IoT describes a world where just about anything can be connected and communicate in an intelligent fashion. In other words, with the IoT, the physical world will become one big information system.

It describes a situation where everything in our surrounding environment is made capable of automatically communicating with each other without any inter-human or human-to-machine interaction. Apart from the fact that it is a path-breaking discovery, it can also prove to be extremely beneficial in facilitating our lives to manifolds.

Despite the enormous benefits, IoT might raise some privacy and security concerns. The risks inherent in our Internet-connected lives and IoT are brought into sharp focus by the movie: Ratter. Ratter is an acronym for a type of malware known as a Remote Access Trojan, an unwittingly downloaded program that provides a hacker with undetected access to a user’s Internet-enabled devices. The ratter can then manipulate programs and files, as well as operate camera and microphone functions, enabling video and audio access to the victim’s activities.

In the movie; Ratter, Emma is determined to make a fresh start as she moves from the Midwest of America to rent a spacious apartment in Brooklyn, New York and begin grad school, Emma never suspects that everything she does within view of her laptop, phone or webcam is being watched and recorded by an unknown stalker who has electronically hijacked her devices. Whether she’s prepping meals in her kitchen, settling into bed at night or showering with her laptop playing music in the background, Emma’s always-online lifestyle is fully revealed to the ratter.

At the same time, she begins receiving random blocked calls and text messages, which her friend Nicole dismisses as typical misdialed numbers and tech glitches. When her laptop starts acting up, Emma takes it to a repair shop but apparently there’s nothing amiss, although she does change her passwords as a precaution. An unexpected call from a blocked number turns out to be her jilted, bitter ex-boyfriend Alex, leading Emma to wonder if he’s the one who’s been anonymously harassing her.

She dismisses the thought however, since things are going so well with Michael, the new guy she’s been dating, until an online chat session becomes way too creepy and Emma breaks things off, concerned that even he might be targeting her. It’s all part of the ratter’s escalating plan to isolate her from friends and family, even as he becomes more aggressive, breaking into her apartment and observing her while she sleeps. As his threatening behavior escalates and Emma’s stress level spikes, her parents urge her to move to a new apartment, but with the ratter monitoring her every move, message and phone call, a change of location isn’t likely to provide much respite or increased security.

In a selfie-obsessed culture motivated by the urge to document everything and perhaps even achieve fleeting viral celebrity, the unpleasant possibilities articulated by the movie, Ratter, are alarmingly immediate and unnervingly reinforced by news accounts of hijacked webcams and hacked cellphones betraying unsuspecting users.