I'm proposing some new thinking at the system level. Think about some of the little issues in an iOT home system. Something causes a signal to the home thermostat pushing it up to 90 F. You are out of town for two weeks and return to find dead plants and a huge utility bill. Similar thoughts occur relative to a connected home refrigerator/freezer. It could be a "glitch" or it could be a hacker, but let's take the glitch first.
We have to think about the reliability of the system to do what it is intended to do. The examples above could be the result of a power transient, or of an IC failure, or of a software failure. It is not enough that each piece of the system is "reliable." It is necessary for the system to be able to recover. In a home, the consequences are perhaps small, but in a larger context, look at industrial control or similar application. We can't go connecting everything without analyzing the possible results and providing recovery capability.
We also have to look at security and frankly, almost everything we build can be hacked. So recognizing the hack and throwing the hacker off the system is one kind of security. Another type of security is to provide better protection against hackers and that needs to be done in the worst way. ID and password are insufficient today. And finally the system has to recover and keep working!
I don't have an answer, I just see the need. I think that processors need better built in security, something that properly used is quite strong. I think the software world has to complete the circle by building software that recognizes the need to recover, perhaps with a special piece of hardware to help.
Bob McConnell
We have to think about the reliability of the system to do what it is intended to do. The examples above could be the result of a power transient, or of an IC failure, or of a software failure. It is not enough that each piece of the system is "reliable." It is necessary for the system to be able to recover. In a home, the consequences are perhaps small, but in a larger context, look at industrial control or similar application. We can't go connecting everything without analyzing the possible results and providing recovery capability.
We also have to look at security and frankly, almost everything we build can be hacked. So recognizing the hack and throwing the hacker off the system is one kind of security. Another type of security is to provide better protection against hackers and that needs to be done in the worst way. ID and password are insufficient today. And finally the system has to recover and keep working!
I don't have an answer, I just see the need. I think that processors need better built in security, something that properly used is quite strong. I think the software world has to complete the circle by building software that recognizes the need to recover, perhaps with a special piece of hardware to help.
Bob McConnell