https://www.iotworldtoday.com/wp-content/themes/ioti_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • IoT World 2020 News
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Galleries
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • IoT World 2020 News
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Video / Podcasts
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Strategic Partners
  • IOT World Events
    • Back
    • Internet of Things World: San Jose
    • IoT World 2020 News
Iot World Today
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • IoT World 2020 News
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Galleries
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • IoT World 2020 News
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Video / Podcasts
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Strategic Partners
  • IOT World Events
    • Back
    • Internet of Things World: San Jose
    • IoT World 2020 News
  • newsletter
  • IIoT
  • Cities
  • Energy
  • Homes/Buildings
  • Transportation/Logistics
  • Connected Health Care
  • Retail
  • AI
  • Architecture
  • Engineering/Development
  • Security
ioti.com

IIoT/Manufacturing


Getty Images

Industrial safety

In Industrial Realm, Trustworthy Software Means Safety

Trustworthy software requires significant initial planning and a long-term perspective. 
  • Written by Brian Buntz
  • 23rd March 2020

While many corporations struggle to win the trust of an ever more cynical public, the stakes are higher for industrial organizations that must rely on various software type. 

Problematic software can cause operational downtime, intellectual property loss and, in some cases, life-threatening consequences.

There has been a recent uptick in interest in trustworthy software concerning the Internet of Things (IoT) and software quality in general. The fate of the digital economy depends on “individuals and organizations trusting computing technology.” But trust is “less sturdy” than it has been in the past, as the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded in 2016. 

In recent years, various organizations have made trustworthy software central to their mission. Founded in 2016, the U.K.-based not-for-profit Trustworthy Software Foundation drives best-practices in software development. Late last year, the Linux Foundation launched Project Alvarium, an initiative exploring mechanisms to support trust in heterogeneous systems, including IoT deployments and between diverse stakeholders. The Industrial Internet Consortium advocates the concept of trustworthiness in industrial IoT. 

Outcomes to Avoid

A string of events serve as a warning of the risks of relying on untrustworthy industrial software, according to Bob Martin, co-chair of the Software Trustworthiness Task Group at Industrial Internet Consortium who coauthored the organization’s white paper “Software Trustworthiness Best Practices.” 

In 2004, for instance, a software glitch caused air traffic control infrastructure and its backup system to shut down in Southern California, according to the L.A. Times. The error resulted in the diversion of 800 commercial airline flights after radio and radar equipment failed for more than three hours. 

Other similarly themed stories include a computer-controlled radiation therapy machine that caused several deaths in the 1980s and a power outage in Tempe, Arizona, in 2007 that resulted from a misconfiguration by a vendor engineer. 

“Real systems have been deployed in the industrial IoT space with the kinds of errors you don’t want to have on your résumé,” Martin said.

The explosion of connectivity and new applications in industrial IoT settings has increased the numbers of professionals creating and procuring software for critical processes. “People who are new to building systems with software or trying to make software resilient may not have run across these events in their education,” Martin said. 

The variety of systems and operating environments involved with industrial IoT devices poses another challenge as it opens up the possibility of security- or safety-related risks, said Johannes Bauer, principal security adviser, identity management and security at UL. It also complicates the process of looking for faults in the various processing elements and code involved in a single project.  

Creating a Common Trust Language 

In the industrial realm, trustworthiness includes facets, including safety, security, privacy reliability and resilience. Trustworthy software can withstand environmental disturbances, human error, system faults and cyberattacks, according to the Industrial Internet Consortium. 

Deploying software that can be trusted requires a comprehensive approach that spans the entire software lifecycle process, according to Simon Rix, product strategist at Irdeto. “You have to incorporate security early, and you have to work out how to automate it,” said Rix, who also co-wrote the IIC whitepaper. 

Fostering conversation between those stakeholders can be challenging, however. “How do you get the businesspeople to speak in a way that the technical people can understand, and how do you keep the technological people from rushing off on their mission to design a product quickly?” Rix asked. 

“The key is to address the whole life cycle, all the different software development methodologies, and to make sure you bring in the stakeholders of the business as well as the operators,” Martin said. “There’s a need for a translation key or Rosetta Stone for the different parties to be able to talk about what they care about where others around the table can see their perspectives as well.”

Frameworks Provide a Starting Point

A growing number of frameworks distill the subject of trust among various stakeholders, but instilling trust in software remains a complex proposition. “The use of the word ‘trust’ has so much variability that it’s almost a useless concept except it does let us have a dialogue,” Martin said.

Putting controls in place to optimize security and safety of industrial software is a vital first step. But cybersecurity processes need to be continually audited. “The concern I have is you can screw anything up,” said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist at Sophos. “For example, I can use [the Advanced Encryption Standard], but I can misuse it far more ways than I can use it correctly.” Wisniewski draws a parallel from retail. “A lot of stores that have chip readers for credit cards have a piece of cardboard with a sign that says, ‘Please swipe.’” he said. “Having chip readers doesn’t mean your credit card processing is secure if you don’t actually use [technology designed to limit fraud].”

Another pitfall is to focus on deploying secure software initially but not consider that it will become obsolete. “We differentiate between end of support and end of use. Just because the original creator may not support the software doesn’t mean that it turns into a salt pillar — that it is unusable,” Martin said. 

Ironically, the topic of end-of-life software also underscores the importance of focusing on security considerations from the beginning. “If the software is critical to you, then put it in your contract to get rights to the source,” Martin advised. 

Ultimately, understanding how software works in the real world requires long-term focus. “It isn’t magical. It reacts, interacts and sometimes needs to be replaced.” 

Tags: Smart factories IIoT/Manufacturing Security Technologies Features Internet of Things World 2020 Conference Coverage

Related


  • Image of fingers holding SIM cards
    The eSIM Cookbook - Towards the Next Generation of Connected Devices
    The eSIM is the future of mobile connectivity. This cookbook gives you a brief primer on the eSIM and its many benefits. We’ll explain how you can get set up with eSIM using a standardised, secure and remote ‘over-the-air’ process called remote SIM provisioning. Getting consumers going with eSIM is as simple as scanning a […]
  • 3d rendering of human brain on technology background
    AI Ups the Ante for IoT Cybersecurity
    Security providers in IT and OT have implemented AI, ML and other advanced technologies to make systems smarter than malicious attackers.
  • How To Become A Software-Driven Car Manufacturer with an Autonomous Digital Platform
    Cubic’s latest eBook sets out how automakers can future-proof their fleets and optimize user experience, via in-car connected, data-driven software.
  • Schneider Electric has made digital twins a priority.
    Persistent Pandemic Heightens Need for Supply Chain Data Transparency
    As COVID-19 continues to rip through society and the economy, supply chains have turned to control tower technology and digital twins to gain better insight.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your IoT World Today account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Content

  • Data-Driven Digital Transformation Propels Airbus to New Heights
  • Supply Chain Analytics and IoT Loom Large in Wake of 2020 Disruption
  • IoT Device Security: Risk Assessment, Hygiene Are Key
  • Drone Technology Extends Reach of Mobile IoT

News

View all

Private LTE Market Projected to Grow to $13 Billion

12th January 2021

IoT World Announces 2021 IoT World Advisory Board

9th December 2020

White Papers

View all

The eSIM Cookbook – Towards the Next Generation of Connected Devices

22nd February 2021

eSIM Delivers Greater Freedom for OEMs – by Beecham Research and Truphone

22nd February 2021

Special Reports

View all

Cybersecurity Protection Increasingly Depends on Machine Learning

28th October 2020

Webinars

View all

Weber’s Journey: How a Top Grill Maker Serves Up Connected Cooking

25th February 2021

From Insights to Action: Best Practices for Implementing Connected Device Security

15th December 2020

Galleries

View all

Top IoT Trends to Watch in 2020

26th January 2020

Five of the Most Promising Digital Health Technologies

14th January 2020

Industry Perspectives

View all

IoT Spending Holds Firm — Tempered by Dose of ‘IoT Pragmatism’

1st December 2020

The Great IoT Connectivity Lockdown

11th May 2020

Events

View all

IoT at the Edge

17th March 2021

Embedded IoT World 2021

28th April 2021 - 29th April 2021

IoT World 2021

2nd November 2021 - 4th November 2021

Twitter

IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

IoT Remote Monitoring Helps Enterprises Traverse COVID-19 and Beyond dlvr.it/RtZ3K5 https://t.co/owJXYf1gkO

26th February 2021
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Securing the Industrial Internet of Things dlvr.it/RtYfYk https://t.co/khUn79dvQD

26th February 2021
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

📢 Announcing #EIOTWORLD sponsor, @BluetoothSIG — the global standard for simple, secure wireless connections. ➕ Le… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th February 2021
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

How IoT Devices Can Enhance the Connected Customer Experience dlvr.it/RtPcvS

24th February 2021
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

🤝 Meet #EIOTWORLD speaker Ingo Feldner, Project Lead for Virtual #Hardware Platforms at @RobertBoschGmbH 📅 Join hi… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

24th February 2021
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Developing IoT Applications with Rust: Using a Rust Development Environment dlvr.it/RtNqrk https://t.co/wOmnoz2UVT

24th February 2021
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Chip-Enabled Edge AI Drives Next-Gen IoT dlvr.it/RtKcMQ https://t.co/dLjBzE6Qei

23rd February 2021
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

The eSIM Cookbook – Towards the Next Generation of Connected Devices dlvr.it/RtG5bB https://t.co/5kXa8Pnv4T

22nd February 2021

Newsletter

Sign up for IoT World Today newsletters: vertical industry coverage on Tuesdays and horizontal tech coverage on Thursdays.

Special Reports

Our Special Reports take an in-depth look at key topics within the IoT space. Download our latest reports.

Business Resources

Find the latest white papers and other resources from selected vendors.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IoT World Series
  • Channel Futures
  • RISC-V
  • Dark Reading
  • ITPro Today
  • Web Hosting Talk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Login/Register

FOLLOW IoT World Today ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X