The internet of things (IoT) refers to a system of interrelated, internet-connected technologies that are able to collect and transfer data over a wireless network without human intervention. These technologies include camera systems, smart tv’s, smart plugs, Amazon devices such as Amazon Alexa, and more. Today, we are going to look specifically at Amazon sidewalk and how it works. We will discuss what this feature does, is it safe, and how Mnemonix can assist with keeping your IoT technologies from compromising your network.
Amazon is due to release a new service called Amazon Sidewalk on June 8th. It is designed to be a kind of shared neighborhood Wi-Fi that extends the range of all types of smart home devices and wearables. These devices include most IoT devices, including Ring security cams, motion sensors, outdoor lighting and Amazon Echo devices. The Amazon Sidewalk system will tap into a portion of each neighbor’s bandwidth to allow for public use for others. Amazon ensures it is a low bandwidth network that can only be used by Sidewalk bridge devices (devices enabled to use this shared network). Where the convenience of this new service seems promising, there are a few concerns about the potential security of such a network.
Shared Wi-Fi networks are naturally less secure than networks that are password protected. These shared networks are often used by hackers to gain access to the information on another connected device on that network. Because your own bandwidth is joining the new network created by Amazon Sidewalk, your network may be left less secure by having strangers using your bandwidth. Amazon has confirmed that end users who utilize the Sidewalk bridge (network created by the Amazon Sidewalk service) do not receive any details about other devices connected to the network. They have also confirmed that the system uses multi-layered encryption as well as minimizing the use of metadata wherever possible. While Amazon has taken security very seriously when developing this service, allowing strangers to have an option to utilize your bandwidth will always remain a security concern. The new service is automatic unless users opt-out, meaning this will take place for a majority of Amazon Echo users without them even knowing. If you’d like to opt-out of the new Amazon Sidewalk service before June 8th, you can do so by following the instructions from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GZ4VSNFMBDHLRJUK
Mnemonix recommends creating a separate VLAN for IoT devices, segregating them to their own section of the network that cannot communicate with the rest of your internal network. While some home internet solutions may not let end users configure their own VLAN’s, Mnemonix is happy to work with you and your business to ensure these IoT devices are segregated in a way that keeps your internal network secure. If you have any questions on how to help ensure your network is secure from unwanted traffic to parts of your network, or how IoT devices could be exposing your network to attackers, please contact Mnemonix.
Amazon is due to release a new service called Amazon Sidewalk on June 8th. It is designed to be a kind of shared neighborhood Wi-Fi that extends the range of all types of smart home devices and wearables. These devices include most IoT devices, including Ring security cams, motion sensors, outdoor lighting and Amazon Echo devices. The Amazon Sidewalk system will tap into a portion of each neighbor’s bandwidth to allow for public use for others. Amazon ensures it is a low bandwidth network that can only be used by Sidewalk bridge devices (devices enabled to use this shared network). Where the convenience of this new service seems promising, there are a few concerns about the potential security of such a network.
Shared Wi-Fi networks are naturally less secure than networks that are password protected. These shared networks are often used by hackers to gain access to the information on another connected device on that network. Because your own bandwidth is joining the new network created by Amazon Sidewalk, your network may be left less secure by having strangers using your bandwidth. Amazon has confirmed that end users who utilize the Sidewalk bridge (network created by the Amazon Sidewalk service) do not receive any details about other devices connected to the network. They have also confirmed that the system uses multi-layered encryption as well as minimizing the use of metadata wherever possible. While Amazon has taken security very seriously when developing this service, allowing strangers to have an option to utilize your bandwidth will always remain a security concern. The new service is automatic unless users opt-out, meaning this will take place for a majority of Amazon Echo users without them even knowing. If you’d like to opt-out of the new Amazon Sidewalk service before June 8th, you can do so by following the instructions from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GZ4VSNFMBDHLRJUK
Mnemonix recommends creating a separate VLAN for IoT devices, segregating them to their own section of the network that cannot communicate with the rest of your internal network. While some home internet solutions may not let end users configure their own VLAN’s, Mnemonix is happy to work with you and your business to ensure these IoT devices are segregated in a way that keeps your internal network secure. If you have any questions on how to help ensure your network is secure from unwanted traffic to parts of your network, or how IoT devices could be exposing your network to attackers, please contact Mnemonix.