The Role of Smartphones in the Internet of Everything

Ever since the mobile boom, smartphones have become an integral part of our lives, enough that they’ve become virtually indispensable in today’s fast-paced world. Not only do they serve to connect us to our friends and loved ones wherever they may be, but they also allow us to do our daily tasks and chores all with a single tap of a screen. We’ve formed such an unbreakable relationship with our smartphones that cybercriminals have included them in their list of targets to attack for monetary gain. For better or for worse, smartphones have become an important part of our daily toolset for life.

From the way the winds of change are blowing, however, it seems that smartphones are about to become a bigger part of our lives, and that’s with the Internet of Everything involved. With the unveiling of iOS 8, Apple also revealed HomeKit, an app service that will help the user manage third-party IoE-enabled devices in their home. With HomeKit, users will be able to group certain devices by the rooms they’re installed in, and set parameters/controls unique to each ‘room’ grouping. This allows for users to be able to modify settings easily, either in a room-to-room basis or more granular. As of this writing, Google has yet to come up with their equivalent, but we can be sure to see it in the coming days.

With this development, we can already see how it’s going to be quite the next big thing, in terms of overall convenience and cool factor. What’s more convenient – and honestly, exciting – about controlling the myriad elements in your home with the gadget you do nearly everything on? Scenarios like your refrigerator texting you while you’re outdoors, reminding you that you’re low on eggs – or remotely turning off an appliance you suddenly remembered only after leaving your home – has universal appeal, and smartphone makers are trying to get us to that future.

But that’s only one side of the coin. The other side, unfortunately, is that introducing the smartphone to your automated home ecosystem may not be the most secure of decisions. This is because the many security pitfalls of the platform – that we’ve talked about at length in this blog – may carry over to the IoE-enabled devices in your home, and thus make you vulnerable to cybercriminal attacks. A cybercriminal hacking into your phone to subscribe you to premium services? Already done. A cybercriminal hacking into your security system THROUGH your phone, deactivating it so they can rob you blind? Very possible!

This is the gist of our latest Mobile Monthly Report, titled “Mobile Security and the Internet of Everything: The Smartphone Remote Hub Problem”. We explore just what the ramifications are, security-wise, in making your smartphone the ‘remote hub’ or ‘universal remote’ of the automated home network. We also look into what early adopters can do to help protect themselves, in case they have already done the deed. We also have June’ mobile malware and adware stats for our readers to peruse.

Smartphones may be the end-all and be-all in convenience, but with how they’re hot in the eyes of cybercriminals, we need to apply them carefully. You can check out the latest MMR here.

Post from: Trendlabs Security Intelligence Blog – by Trend Micro

The Role of Smartphones in the Internet of Everything

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Story added 24. July 2014, content source with full text you can find at link above.