Introduction
The global technological rush has increased the use of wireless networks, which have included Wi-Fi networks to connect several computers and devices to a shared network, thus facilitating the sharing of information (Muhendra, Rinaldi & Budiman, 2017). Cyber attackers have not been left behind either, as they have developed viruses and other malware that seek to hijack the data being shared over a Wi-Fi network, for instance. In response to cyber insecurity threats, various antivirus programs have been developed by leading cyber experts in the world, and have significantly contributed towards the fight for a cyber theft-free working environment (Zhu, Ding, Li, Gu, & Yang , 2018). Nonetheless, Zhu et al. (2018) have been unable to determine if the wireless security systems offer complete safety for the networks, or they are exposed to vulnerabilities that could affect the wireless security and potentially threaten the data of the organizations.
Detailed Description of the Area Searched
The fast development of the Internet of Things has grown the ability of people to interconnect many small devices to maintain wireless security. A product of the Internet of Things in the twenty-first century that has received worldwide analyzing its authenticity in security is a smart plug (Ling, Luo, Xu, Gao, Wu, & Fu , 2017). The smart plugs have increasingly been used for the home monitoring and provision of wireless security. Notwithstanding, Ling et al. (2017) believe that the smart plugs manufactured by a famous brand may have vulnerabilities that could be fixed to guarantee maximum security, but they are left open. Ling et al. (2017) thus describe research that was performed to expose the vulnerabilities of the smart plug by successfully launching four different attacks. The attacks involved the brute force attack, firmware attack, device-scanning attack, and the spoofing attack. The real-world results of the experiment indicate that hackers could obtain information from the users of the smart plug by launching such attacks.
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The security of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has aroused the interest of many researchers in various technological fields. Sinha, Jha, Rai, & Bhushan (2017) compare the WSNs to the traditional wireless and wired networks in that the WSNs have additional exposure to vulnerabilities that threaten their efficiency. The lack of physical infrastructure and dynamic network topology are some of the factors that determine the vulnerabilities of the WSNs. According to Sinha, Jha, Rai, & Bhushan (2017), the open type of communication that characterizes the WSNs make them vulnerable to passive eavesdropping by the hackers compared to the traditional wired networks. The vulnerability enables the attacker to be in a favorable position to launch even more complicated and severe attacks than just the jamming of the WSNs. Sinha, Jha, Rai, & Bhushan (2017) recommend that a thorough investigation of the vulnerabilities that the WSNs are exposed to is conducted as the first step towards guaranteeing the security of the WSN networks across the globe.
Apart from the Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth networks across the globe are also at the risk of cybercrime. According to Cope, Campbell, & Hayajneh (2017), Bluetooth technology has grown over the years, with many consumers accepting it as part of their everyday life. Despite its convenience and ease of use, Bluetooth has also been reported to have various security flaws, which expose the network to a sea of vulnerabilities. Cope, Campbell, & Hayajneh (2017) dig into the tools that are available for hackers to exploit Bluetooth users with the rapid growth in technology in the world. The possibility of intercepting the communication between two devices that use Bluetooth as a wireless network has risen with the hackers making use of the jamming tools that enable them to eavesdrop passively. Cope, Campbell, & Hayajneh (2017) agree that Bluetooth as a wireless network needs to be proliferated against the potentiality of the hacks that threaten its worldwide consumers.
Technology Involved
Various technologies and techniques have been developed by advanced research to combat the vulnerabilities of wireless networks (Zhu, Jones & Maglaras, 2017). Some of the methods and techniques used for the modern systems include the Software-Defined Systems (SDS), the 802.11 wireless networks, and the Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs). Zhu, Jones, & Maglaras (2017) divide the study into two main classes. The main class comprises of the methods that seek to strengthen the detection of intrusion into the wireless networks, and the encryption capabilities of the networks in question. The second class consists of the analysis of the collected data to reveal the various vulnerabilities, which the network security providers are studying. According to Zhu, Jones, & Maglaras (2017), the new cyber-attacks that exploit the vulnerabilities of the novel wireless systems prompt the technicians in the different capacities worldwide to come up with ways to combat the cyber theft wave.
The use of Highly Critical Wireless Networking (HCWN) has been on the rise in the different parts of the world as giant phone manufacturers, including Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, take over the consumer market. Martellini, Abaimov, Gaycken, & Wilson (2017) describe that the HCWN is also exposed to vulnerabilities as hackers take advantage of their interconnectedness to manipulate the information relayed across the devices. Essentially, the interconnectedness of the devices using HCWN enables the members of staff to carry out their duties effectively as information tends to flow faster between them compared to the traditional wired networks. However, the cyber attackers have increased their tactics to hijack the information shared by the devices and manipulate it for their uses. Therefore, the major mobile phone manufacturers, as recommended by Martellini, Abaimov, Gaycken, & Wilson (2017), have to revamp their security measures to proliferate their consumers from the vulnerabilities that they are exposed to as they use their mobile phones.
Mobile phone applications of the twenty-first century are mainly making use of the wireless sensor networks that enable them to speed up their sharing of data. Radhappa, Pan, Xi Zheng, & Wen (2018) elaborate on the security issues that expose the applications to various vulnerabilities. Other than the security issue, the concern of privacy in the use of the apps has also significantly risen in the past several years, with the cyber attackers taking advantage of the vulnerability of the apps to hijack data. According to Radhappa, Pan, Xi Zheng & Wen (2018), one of the ways that cyber attackers gain control of the data shared in the apps is gaining access through the incompletely secure avenues and inject the data with malicious data that leads to deletion, and the manipulation of existing information. Radhappa, Pan, Xi Zheng, & Wen (2018), therefore, identify the issue of security for the WSNs as a broad topic that requires more in-depth research into the ways cyber insecurity can be eliminated through beefing up the security of the mobile apps.
Future Trends
As the issue of the vulnerability of the WSNs exacerbates in the world, Sahoo, Ray, Sarkar, & Bhoi (2018) identify trust management as the most intrinsic guard against cyber insecurity on the side of technology firms and their consumers. The trust management systems have proven to be inherent to the efforts of identifying and eliminating the compromised and malicious nodes that the cyber attackers have for a long time used to manipulate data shared over the WSNs. Sahoo, Ray, Sarkar, & Bhoi (2018) further argue that the trust management systems are the first solution towards solving the cybercrime issues that emanate from the internal environment of the organizations. Nonetheless, like the other trends that can be used to eliminate the vulnerabilities of WSNs to cybercrime, the trust management systems can also be compromised, leading to the loss of massive amounts of data. Sahoo, Ray, Sarkar, & Bhoi (2018) believe that researchers may come up with ways to fortify the trust management systems in the war against cybercrime for the safety of the WSNs.
Traditional wired systems are more desirable than modern WSNs due to their inability to be vulnerable to the probing-free attacks (PFAs). While the WSNs have proved to be promising in terms of proving fast and reliable flow of information in the industrial system, Pan et al. (2018) report that there are rising concerns over the security of the WSNs in the sharing of company data. In response to the growing list of security concerns, Pan et al. (2018) describe the future trend in revamping the security of the WSNs by implementing the physical-layer security technology, which guarantees security in the WSNs as in the conventional wired systems. The new wireless technology takes advantage of the randomness in the channels and nature of transmitting information to achieve the authentication and the confidentiality of the information. Pan et al. (2018), therefore, believe that the physical-layer security technology will turn the tables for the growing security concerns for the WSNs.
The rapidly developing technology industry has also influenced the automotive industry with wireless control operations such as the Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (ICVs). The numerous smart systems and the wireless communication technologies, as Luo & Liu (2018) explains, have significantly improved the driving experience for the mart drivers. However, the ICVs are at a threat to security breaches that may manipulate their systems, leading to the tampering with the available data. Mostly, Luo & Liu (2018) analyze that the ICVs are vulnerable to attackers who may use their wireless telematics system. Nonetheless, the use of the wireless telematics system also proves to be an opportunity for the ICVs and their developers. That is because the technology companies could renovate the wireless telematics systems that the ICVs use to emerge as a global trend towards the combat of cyber theft.
Global Implications
The internet of things has worked tirelessly towards the interconnection of the various spheres of the world's economy. With the increasing threats of cybercrime targeting the internet of things, various researchers have come up with solutions that can be used on a global platform to reduce the vulnerabilities of the WSNs (Qu et al., 2018). In the twenty-first century, the proliferation of WSNs is providing an opportunity for the rapid development of the internet of things. However, Qu et al. (2018) explain that the increase in the users of the internet of things is also increasing the threats that are facing the users on a global platform. Therefore, the authors suggest that more research needs to be performed on the proliferation of security solutions meant to facelift the applications that actively make use of the internet of things. Other security measures, according to Qu et al. (2018), could be used as alternatives to address the security concern appearing over the use of the internet of things.
The latest forms of technology, such as the WSNs, have found their way into the electrical grid systems to develop what has come to be known as the smart power grid (Sun, Hahn & Liu, 2018). The cyber systems in the smart grid have their communication standards that determine how the power companies are connected to their consumers. The smart grid, as Sun, Hahn, and Liu (2018) narrates, has been affected by vulnerabilities to cyber attackers through the cyber-physical system (CPS). The cyber threats in the smart grid could affect the physical infrastructure, society, and the economy, in a move that has raised concerns among the technicians in the field. According to Sun, Hahn, & Liu (2018), it would be devastating for the global consumers of electricity if the smart grid were to be hacked and data lost or changed by the hackers. Thus, the technicians in the field need to revamp their security measures in a bid to keep hackers at bay when it comes to the smart grid.
Chopra, Jha, & Jain (2017) usher the readers into the cyber challenges and the emerging solutions for the ultra-dense mobile networks currently utilized in the various parts of the world. The field involving next-generation mobile communication networks has narrowed down the operability of the mobile phones to the standard platforms that facilitate data transfer. Globally, many applications involving smart health, smart homes, and surveillance have transformed the way consumers manage their lives and monitor the safety of their homes. The potentiality of hacks on mobile phones, while taking advantage of the common platforms used to transfer data, has increased. Chopra, Jha, & Jain (2017) identify that the primary solution that the next generation networks can consider is the addition of antiviruses and other programs that promote the privacy and security of the mobile phones and their consumers.
Conclusion
The level of technology is rapidly advancing each day, with recent trends in both the usage of hardware and software being developed. Akin to rapid technological advancement, cyber attackers are working round the clock to develop malicious software that hijacks the information being shared on platforms such as WSNs. At the same time, technology firms worldwide are working towards developing feasible solutions that guard the information of the users against malware attacks.
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