HyperCat Aims to Interconnect the Internet of Things
HyperCat is ready to unite the Internet of Things (via 1248)
The devices that comprise the Internet of Things (IoT)–from thermostats to activity-measuring watches–are smarter than ever. Yet they are still individual devices operated by different companies, so they don’t communicate with one another. Now over 40 organizations, including big names like IBM, have developed a technical standard called HyperCat to enable data sharing between services and machines. Interoperability between different devices could be the next big step for the IoT: the start of a transition from homes full of isolated smart devices to entire smart cities.
The problem HyperCat aims to solve, as stated by Pilgrim Beart of tech startup 1248, is that “services are not machine browsable.” This means that if several smart devices are at work in your home or office, one device cannot make use of the data gleaned by another. Before, if developers wanted to access data from another device, they had to manually search the other device’s API to find out how. HyperCat solves this problem by making services machine-readable. It does exactly what technology is supposed to do: reduces the amount of manual labor in the process.
HyperCat makes life easier for everyone involved, Beart says. Developers benefit from easier access to other devices’ data, and the market opens up as a result, perhaps giving independent developers and startups a boost against industry-leading corporations. HyperCat broadens consumers’ choice, enabling them to use one service with a variety of different apps.
As the IoT becomes more integrated with our lives, it’s more important than ever to be vigilant regarding the security of your data. With a plethora of internet-connected devices in your home or office, a single insecure device could become a hacker’s gateway to your network. Particularly as the business of IoT app development expands to more individuals and startups, make sure you vet the providers of any services and apps you use. Unlike a computer, most smart devices won’t inform you when an update is available, so visit the company’s website regularly to check for software updates. Keeping your software current is an important defense against attackers. Just as you would for your computer, have LMG Security conduct a penetration test or vulnerability assessment on your smart devices to make sure they are secure hubs for your data.
HyperCat is a positive change for the growing IoT, after all. Standardization makes it easier to apply a uniform layer of security to the system. For example, any website that uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) can be encrypted using HTTP Secure (HTTPS) by layering one existing protocol over another. HyperCat is a step in the right direction, and hopefully a security protocol for the IoT will be close behind–before more security breaches scare us away from keeping smart devices in our homes and offices.
