Sheldon Anthony IO

In our current digital landscape, we are constantly developing and deploying digital systems that can significantly impact the physical world. However, we often fail to fully consider the consequences of these systems on the physical environment and the people affected by them. While we invest a great deal of time and resources into safeguarding the data and information of these systems, we may not be giving enough attention to their actual impact on the world around us. We must take a holistic approach to developing and implementing digital systems, one that considers not only the security and privacy of data, but also their real-world impact on the physical environment, society, and individuals.

There are numerous threats presented in the cyber-physical systems that we use daily. However, we must not overlook the opportunities and lessons that we can learn from them. We interact with these systems every day, whether we realize it or not. Our phones, cars, and voice-activated devices are some examples of these systems. We not only use them consciously but also perform actions that impact the real world. It's easy to overlook the fact that a simple app on a person's phone can interact with material things in the world.

Using an IoT botnet, Dyn was subjected to one of the largest DDoS attacks ever in October of 2016. There were huge outages across the internet, including Twitter, the Guardian, Netflix, Reddit, and CNN. In order to create this IoT botnet, malware called Mirai was used. The malware infects computers when they persistently search the internet for vulnerable IoT devices and use known default usernames and passwords to log in. Digital cameras and DVR players were examples of these devices. Indeterminate numbers of critical systems were at risk due to insecure embedded firmware running on connected devices.^[1]

As an innovative or disruptive entrepreneur or business owner, you are always coming up with new ideas and inventions. It's natural to want to be the first to market your concepts, but it's important to consider the impact your digital systems will have in the real world. If your idea or concept is meant to make a difference in the physical world, it can have a significant impact on the online world as well. Consider the areas your business's brands or products touch in the real world. By paying attention to what they represent in reality, you can mitigate many of the risks and threats that exist in the digital space. By building your business or product with the human experience in mind, you can avoid the digital-physical illusion. Whether you're creating a physical product that feeds information into a system or a digital system that interacts with the real world, start inventing with deep thought on the human experience.

If you release a digital or physical system that has a direct impact on humans in the physical world, it is crucial to ensure that you have complete control over that system. Relying on things that are beyond your control is simply not an option. During the COVID-19 outbreak, several health-related issues were reported with cyber-physical systems that were deployed physically, and the question of responsibility arose. These health safety measures should not fade away once the epidemic passes. Instead, they should remain in place until they can be automated and perfected. We must deploy our digital systems with the same level of responsibility as doctors in an emergency room, rather than thinking like inventors of ATMs, Gambling Slot Machines, and POS Machines. The economy of our digital systems is supported by the longevity of human life and not the other way around.