The internet is one of the most heavily used and discussed innovations of our time. From education to entertainment, we all use the internet more than we would like to admit! In recent years, we have used the internet in new devices and in new ways. This has led to a large-scale network of internet-connected devices known as the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Internet of Things is, simply put, the network between internet-connected devices. Most notably, these devices aren’t your typical computers. From smart fridges to smartphones, we can exchange information across the internet to perform a variety of tasks. A simple example could be our ability to adjust a thermostat or check a security camera using our phone or laptop.

The earliest recorded example of the IoT was at Carnegie Mellon University, where a Coca-Cola vending machine was connected to the internet. This allowed it to share information about the cans remaining in the fridge. This has famously led to the concept central to the Internet of Things: ubiquitous computing. This phrase simply refers to the idea of computing moving beyond the desktop. As we have seen in the two decades since the conception of this term, our use of technology has shifted from desktops to portable laptops to even more portable smartphones. The Internet of Things is the most recent shift in this direction.

I’m sure you can already think of ways this technology has been implemented around you. Despite the broad acceptance of these devices in recent years, some have reservations about the effects of the IoT on the internet as a whole. “Smart devices” pose potential security risks. Some of this is due to the dependency on common internet services. One notable example is a DDoS attack on over 65,000 IoT devices. As security improves on the internet, our dependency on it in devices like these increases. This is why it is essential to evaluate the safety of using the IoT well into the future.