Israel’s pager exploit, targeting nearly 3000 Hezbollah operatives via their electronic devices, was undoubtedly a brilliant counterintelligence move. But it also serves as a grim reminder that a world built on connectivity can be a threat as well as a blessing—not only to our privacy but also our safety and, one can even argue, our national security.
Pagers and cell phones are only one part of the coming Internet of Things (IoT), the universe of interconnected “smart” devices that include refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as industrial sensors that monitor the power grid. It includes the GPS software in our automobiles, traffic surveillance cameras, and commercial drones. Overall, the IoT brings new risks that we have only begun to understand—let alone take steps to deter and prevent.
As Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and others have urged, taking stock of China’s role in manufacturing the IoT and limiting the number of these devices that originate in China is a sensible step in the right direction. But it’s only a step. The truth is that no national cyber strategy can be complete unless it addresses the overall threat and examines the new technologies that can mitigate that threat. A credible estimate is that there will be over 32.1 billion IoT devices worldwide by 2030.
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