The vision of the so-called internet of things — giving all
sorts of physical things a digital makeover — has been years ahead of reality.
But that gap is closing fast.
Today, the range of things being computerized and connected
to networks is stunning, from watches, appliances and clothing to cars, jet
engines and factory equipment. Even roadways and farm fields are being upgraded
with digital sensors. In the last two years, the number of internet-of-things devices
in the world has surged nearly 70 percent to 6.4 billion, according to Gartner,
a research firm. By 2020, the firm forecasts, the internet-of-things population
will reach 20.8 billion.
The optimistic outlook is that the internet of things will
be an enabling technology that will help make the people and physical systems
of the world — health care, food production, transportation, energy consumption
— smarter and more efficient.
The pessimistic outlook? Hackers will have something else to
hack. And consumers accustomed to adding security tools to their computers and
phones should expect to adopt similar precautions with internet-connected home
appliances.
“If we want to put networked technologies into more and more
things, we also have to find a way to make them safer,” said Michael Walker, a
program manager and computer security expert at the Pentagon’s advanced
research arm. “It’s a challenge for civilization.”
