The infusion of AI into IoT infrastructures shows it’s vital to take cybersecurity seriously.

Although like many of us in this industry, I am fascinated by technology and curious to explore its possibilities, I am no hacker, well-intentioned or otherwise. Yet I do own a couple of gadgets, of course, available through reputable channels, that can sniff for open Internet ports and probe access-control systems, like hotel room keys. It’s got me thinking about the power of tools available to serious-minded hackers who devote their careers and considerable brain power to finding and attacking vulnerable targets online.

In the real, above-board world, we are placing increasing trust in the software applications that enable our lives, infrastructures, jobs and economies. And with the infusion of AI into all these applications, we know less and less about the mechanisms controlling them, or the values directing those mechanisms.

Keeping bad actors out is extremely important, especially as an increasing variety of cyber-physical systems – IoT applications – assist our daily lives at home, on the roads and in factories. As consumers, we enjoy legal protection against many types of cybercrime. We may not know when a connected device like an IP camera has been taken over and used in a botnet. These threats are abstract and virtual.

The demand for products that last is innovating design, processes and materials.

As the technology in our pockets, homes and offices becomes increasingly critical to our daily missions as individuals, we all value the reliability of these complex electronic devices. We depend on smartphones, communication networks, home office equipment, automobiles, contactless payment terminals and more to be ready for action every time we call on them. To meet our expectations, these systems must deliver high reliability.

Product manufacturers and brand owners understand the market value gained from establishing a reputation for reliability. They also understand that product reviews and social media channels give consumers immense power to make or break that reputation.

In general, the reliability of consumer-grade and industrial products has improved remarkably as the electronics industry has matured. This is due to a number of important factors. Component and interconnect technologies have improved enormously. Digital electronics offer much greater repeatability and robustness to changing operating conditions than ancient, predominantly analog circuits. And opening the enclosure of almost any consumer device typically reveals a tidy and minimalist assembly as integrated components internalize many interconnections and functions. On top of this, standardization of specialized functions such as RF transceivers as plug-and-play modules has made complex systems much easier to design and build using hardware that’s already proven in existing designs. Moreover, the vendors continually refine and improve these modules from one generation to the next.