Safety and security for the internet of things

International audienceInternet of Things (IoT) is a buzzword for the term " connected devices " , which we used in the last 15 years to describe the trend of connecting embedded devices. It is driven by the need to shift the usage of embedded devices to the next level of efficiency. By enabling seamless communication between all embedded devices, we capture more data about the ongoing process and are able to influence the process for optimization. The realization of seamless connectivity is favored by the broad availability of Ethernet and wireless communication. Even real-time requirements are covered by specific industrial Ethernet protocols, which are fast enough to drive high frequency control systems with a small amount of jitter. With this seamless communication, functional safety and security of an embedded/IoT device become a challenge. A communication channel is always subject for vulnerability and can compromise the safety of the system because of a modified configuration. A security attack to a water heating system, which provides boiling water instead of tempered water, or a control valve for a chemical process, which is 'out of control' will definitely evolve to a safety problem. The functional safety of a system ensures, that a system does not harm its environment. Safety is ensured by implementing a safety concept in software and/or hardware. On the software side, the underlying software platform (Operating System and Middleware) should support safety in its design and architecture, so that functional safety requirement can be more easily implemented