Nano-Sensors and the Internet of Nano Things

Nano sensors have been around for quite some time. In various forms super tiny electronic sensors have been developed over the past 20 years. These little guys gather all kinds of data about the environment: things like the air around them humidity, atmospheric pressure and a bunch of other stuff. Now in the year 2024 The internet of Nano-Things is a real workable concept. Its greatest use is in conjunction with the Normal IOT. The IONT is essentially integrating tons of these sensors into the IOT environment to increase data collected and make monitoring easier.

Together these concepts can gather and process data about everything that’s happening in large areas the size of whole cities. Anything from checking for fires with tiny sensors in each room of a building, or tracking air pollution for every city block.

The potential for these devices is marvelous, but they come with their own challenges: Problems such as bandwidth constraints, needing unique Mac protocols to connect to the internet, and having low data transfer ranges. Unfortunately, these machines are also simple and the data transmitted is at risk from threat actors. This risk is compounded by the large amount of data collected and devices which would be connected in this type of environment. It has major implications for the security industry. On top of that, the infrastructural problem of allowing these devices to communicate effectively is difficult. It would likely require them to use a specific bandwidth to operate in the same areas as other machines.

The Internet of Nano things will make the world feel very connected indeed. The security risks are only one aspect of this type of system. when used in conjunction with the IOT it will make the world very visible. Every time you enter a area with these systems you very well could be analyzed the whole time. There would be almost no privacy. Eith many considering IOT and even Smart Cities as the future, planners will have to very clear and careful on how they protect the privacy of the average person.

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Smart Cities and the move for urban efficiency.

Smart cities are the next big thing for urban planning. They aim to incorporate the Internet of things, AI, IONT and many other concepts into one large web of networks which operate together. Using edge computing concepts, the incredible amount of data which is collected can actually be processed and reacted to by appropriate parties. This level of sensing can allow emergency services to immediately deploy to crime or accident locations. However the theoretical danger is: With the explosion of devices being connected to a network or the internet, inappropriate parties may find it easier to break in to a part of the network.

Smart cities are not just tripling the Attack surface its more like multiplying by ten. It will require extensive monitoring of devices connections and constant updates. It will also call into question concerns about privacy, with so much monitoring individuals in these cities may not ever have privacy outside of their homes. Now it may sound pretty risky but the benefits are pretty amazing too. If the city is able to react so quickly to changes, not just in environment but also changes which endanger people, it will make such a city much safer to be in. Cities are leaning pretty heavily into this direction and it will be very interesting to see which way the concept goes. How they tackle the issues could make or break the idea. It is safe to say though, cybersecurity is a field that isn’t going away any time soon.

AI Social Engineering: A Scary Problem

We have all heard about the potential for AI in these past few years. Anything from helping with homework to making videos of people saying things they never did. Its impressive tech, but here lies the issue. Social engineering is the most successful tactics a hacker can use. They abuse peoples trust or carelessness to gain access to systems. AI could make this twice as dangerous. Imagine if it could create better fishing emails, or mimic writing styles to trick employees. Even worse it can mimic voices with high accuracy and create false messages or eventually even simple conversations with you.

This means that now attackers have yet another tricky tool in their belt. One that doesn’t just rely on victims being lazy or careless. It wouldn’t be hard to image how a good attacker could manipulate people with voice mimicking AI, especially if it sounds just like their boss!

For a real world example, in February 2024 this actually happened. A finance worker in Hong Kong attended a deepfake meeting with multiple people at his office. As he was unaware they fake he agreed to their unusual requests of a secret transaction of 25 million dollars. That’s pretty insane stuff! Read more here. This is serious real rising danger. Everyone should be on the lookout for AI being used in attacks. People might be able to mine your social media accounts or fake voices. Just always verify before you give anyone sensitive information! Below is more info on how all this works.