Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things

Welcome! You may have heard about the Internet of Things (IoT). But you may also have wondered about what it is. Or for that matter, what does it mean to you or an organization. This course is for you if you are curious about the most recent trends and activities in the internet capabilities and concerns about programmed devices. There are complexities and areas of necessary awareness when the industrial sector becomes connected to your home. Security policies and practices have not yet caught up to the internet capabilities of some of our most common products. The “connected home”, “consumer wearables”, or even an employee’s HVAC system may cause an unanticipated threat to your business environment.


You will explore current security and privacy related concerns in each of these areas. Every module will include readings, videos, case studies, and a quiz to help make sure you understand the material and concepts we talk about. This course offers a place to learn, reflect, and plan for a smart community approach to IoT. Portions of this course may seem extremely technical in nature. That is because the “things” in IoT represents engineering. Try to grasp the concept in that case.

Welcome to Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things!
-Welcome to “Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things”! Your team for this course are experts in the field of cybersecurity and the Internet of Things. Through their research and experience, the team has collaborated to create a course that encompasses the most relevant aspects of cybersecurity and its impact on the Internet of Things. The team consists of Dr. Humayun Zafar, Dr. Traci Carte, Mr. Andy Green, and Dr. Herbert Mattord. All team members are faculty at Kennesaw State University which is one of the largest universities in the state of Georgia. In this course, we will talk about the so-called “Internet of Things” and what it means in the industrial sector, the “connected home”, and “consumer wearables” arenas. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing you successfully complete this course! Mr. Green is active on Twitter, follow him at @secprofgreen. He will be tweeting about IoT topics, using the #iotsecmooc tag. Join him there to engage in conversation!

IoT and the Industrial Sector
-In this module, you will explore how IoT devices are used in the industrial sector. You will explore some of the common devices in use today, learn how they work, and how businesses and consumers benefit. You will also be exposed to some of the security and privacy-related issues found in this sector.

IoT and the Connected Home
-In this module, we will guide you through some of the more common IoT devices in use in a modern “connected home”, and how they are used. We will also show you some of the big security and privacy-related issues found with these devices, and their use in our homes.

IoT and Consumer Wearables
-In this module, we will expose you to IoT devices in the consumer wearables sector. You will learn about some of the more popular devices, how they are used, what data they can report about you, and how that data may be used. As with the other modules, we will also help you explore current security and privacy-related concerns that are out there.