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Why IoTs have created a security crisis and strained the communications infrastructure along the way.

By Acreto IoT Security.

5G is coming! 5G is coming! But in the 4G LTE era where access is lightning fast, what is driving the push for 5G?


4G networks is a technology from the 2000's with
one primary intent -- to enable mobile devices to take advantage of
apps. In order for the apps, app stores, streaming and other services
to be successful, mobile devices need to just plain work. This means
they must work transparently, reliably and consistently for users to
interface and interact with their apps and content. 4G solved the
problem with 2G, which was data unusable, and 3G, that at best was
used for email and some browsing in a pinch. To that extent, it has
been a resounding success.


However, connected devices have seeped into
everyday life in a low-key and transparent way. So much so that the
prevailing industry mantra is that "IoTs are coming". In
reality, IoTs arrived long ago. Today, mobile phones are ubiquitous.
So ubiquitous that the mobile phone market has all but saturated.
However, IoTs that are perceived to be "coming" number
twice that of mobile phones today (16 billion vs. 8 billion).


Just think about how many smart devices are in
your personal life already. All the smart TVs, smart thermostats,
smart door locks and video doorbells, and more. Today, some version
of anything and everything comes with an IP address. Tomorrow,
everythingwill just be assumed to have an
IP address. IoTs are used for measurement, reporting, monitoring,
content dissemination, cost management or performing a variety of
functions. And in many instances, technologies are IoT enabled due to
plain old peer pressure. Everybody else is connected and we have to
keep up with the Kardashians.


Today, things that matter are connected - and
there are a lot of things that matter. And we are well on our way on
the trajectory for “connected everything” to be the
standard.


The exponential growth of connected devices has
strained our communications infrastructure beyond its breaking point.
This has driven the complete exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, which has
forced unwilling network operators to fast-track transition to IPv6.
Moreover, network operators have realized that much like IPv4, the 4G
LTE network is cracking under the burden of connected devices.


In reality, 4G just can't keep up with the scale
trajectory and performance demands of IoT technologies. One of the
key factors for 4G is that it is not decentralized enough. As
decentralized as 4G networks are, they are still too centralized for
the continuing increase in the volume of IoTs.


There are three missing infrastructure elements
that have to mature in order to fully support the scale, form and
function of 21st century Internetwork of Everything.


First, Scale - Comparatively,
enterprise technologies are like a gorilla, emphasizing static
tools, however, IoTs are like a swarm of bees. Completely manageable
in small quantities, overwhelming in medium quantities and
suffocating at full scale. Second, Form - In
comparison to autonomous and network-centric technologies, IoTs are
distributed and operate on many different public and private
networks with dependencies on remote third-party operated
applications and management. Third, Function - Today's
standards-based technologies can be used in a variety of roles.
Inversely, connected technologies are often small and resource
limited, single-function devices that perform micro-functions.

Connected devices, IoTs, cloud-enabled
technologies or, whichever other name they may be referred to as,
operate at a radically different scale, with radically different form
and function characteristics. Ultimately, they demand a radically
different technology infrastructure altogether.


First, let’s talk about Addressing.

The Internetwork of