Home US government CIO calls for “self-aware” systems for IoT

US government CIO calls for “self-aware” systems for IoT

As the Internet of Things (IoT) grows to an enormous scale, new security and scalability challenges are bound to emerge. According to the chief information officer (CIO) of the federal government, Tony Scott, the issues may be fixed by implemented self aware systems and lowering the amount of data analysed.

Speaking at the ICIT Forum 2016, Scott — who previously worked for Microsoft and VMWare under the same title — said that IoT components lack a few critical features that may lead to major issues.

See also: Rise in IoT pushes government agencies to rethink security

The first missing feature is self awareness; the ability for the component to ask questions like “Am I healthy? Am I still operating the way I was designed to? Have I been compromised? Can I call for help?” Self aware components might even be able to self diagnose, providing a report every few hours on its health to a centralized server.

Self awareness is not artificial intelligence, but provides the chip with enough “brain power” to know when it’s unhealthy or vulnerable to attack. This could save money by lowering the amount of analysis done on an IoT network.

This leads into Scott’s next point on the over analysation of a network. He calls for systems to be created that send only the most important pieces of information, rather than an entire network of info.

Security an “intractable problem?”

“I don’t believe we can collect logs and analyze them for everything that’s going to be a participant in the Internet of Things,” said Scott. “I don’t think there’s enough compute power or enough data science to do that effectively at really large scale. It’s just an intractable kind of problem.”

Scott believes that developers of IoT systems need to look at new ways of designing systems that differ from previous platforms. He suggests that developers rethink how a system is built and if every component is necessary to make IoT functional and secure.

Automation of systems is being tested by a few companies like Google and IBM, which want to use artificial intelligence to lower the amount of human input, but it is still in the early days. Other systems like the blockchain might help towards a more computer-orientated system of trust and security.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.