Fascinating new article from Cambridge about the intersection of safety and security as Things meet the Internet. Previously air-gapped devices that control systems responsible for life and death are no longer immune from the attacks which have plagued their less important cousins. The lifespan of Things is much longer than devices and requires a plan for updates and support measured in decades. Can you imagine the version control nightmare when versions are still in use that have outlived their creators by a generation?
Fortunately our defenses and management systems are advancing rapidly. The version control problem would have been insurmountable years ago but could conceivably fit into a modern CI/CD process that is mostly automated. Network segmentation tools, like Trustgrid, offer ways to deploy truly private networks that could remain logically-gapped from the internet.
We are well prepared to meet the challenges of the future, of the Internet of Things.
The Intersection of Safety and Security
06.08.17 by Lance Johnson