Answers to smarter home security

Connected devices are multiplying and making their presence felt. Pilgrim Beart tackles the security question

The number of smart devices consumers own is increasing rapidly. Equally, the areas of life to which they have access are expanding, from communication to lifestyle and health, security and throughout our homes.

But we won't have the time to reap the benefits of smart devices and the insights they give us, if our interaction with each device doesn't reduce.

Instead, those devices must start talking to each other more, without our input. Devices and apps will simply have to look after each other and allow us to relinquish control.

Smart homes in particular have come under scrutiny of late; as more major players enter the market, the reality of unparalleled access by apps and devices to our homes and personal data has sparked fears about security.

We are on the cusp of seeing smart home devices enter the mass market. Gartner has predicted that the average home will have 500 smart devices by 2020, emphasising a need for intercommunication between them without human intervention.

Yet when security experts have been given the task of hacking into a typical smart home, vulnerabilities are evident. Connected homes have been painted as horror houses where outsiders can control your TV and spy on your living room or track when you are in or out of the house.

These are very personal, understandable fears but they must be rationally handled. The world of smart connected devices is in its infancy – and with that will come teething problems associated with explosive growth.

There are two separate issues: security and privacy.

In the case of the technical security of smart home devices, the industry faces challenges. The industry has been playing a game of cat and mouse and until now, with the focus on getting devices and apps to market, rather than on rigorous security testing.

Ironing out every niggle and loophole before release for any such product would be counterproductive and potentially never-ending, however. The complexity and diversity of the market make testing difficult, with ever-changing different areas of evolution and vulnerability.

As the market scales up, security measures and standards will appear. We are already seeing the development of consortia such as AllSeen Alliance which can formalise technology standards and policy.

One of the key solutions to the security challenges will be automated testing of new applications. We understand the need for thorough and automated testing, yet development is too rapid to test each new application using manual processes.

Simple rules and limitations must be applied, too, to reduce the ability of individual apps to interact or control devices outside their remit. It is possible to isolate and restrict devices in the smart home, create rules and contain any potential damage.

An app devised to control the lights in your house, for example, shouldn't be able to control your alarm system, even if it is aware enough of context to respond to it.

The success of smart homes and of these answers will require a genuinely open-source ecosystem. Brands such as Samsung, Philips and even Apple have realised that no company can operate alone.

Openness will breed competition and growth of the market. With that will come standardisation and as the market matures, security will follow.

Pilgrim Beart is founder of AlertMe