Unit 10 · Session 3
Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and IoT
🎯 Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- ✅ Define the Internet of Things (IoT).
- ✅ Describe how an IoT system works.
- ✅ Provide examples of IoT applications.
☁️ What is Cloud Computing?
Renting computing power, storage and software over the internet, and paying only for what you use, instead of buying and running your own servers.
- 🛒 On-demand self-service: add a server in minutes without calling anyone.
- 🌐 Broad network access: use it from any device, anywhere.
- 🏢 Resource pooling: many customers share huge data centres.
- 📈 Rapid elasticity: scale up for a big sale and back down after.
- 📏 Measured service: billed like electricity, by usage.
These five characteristics come from the US NIST definition (2011). Major providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud.
🍕 IaaS, PaaS and SaaS: Who Manages What?
| Model | You get | You manage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS (Infrastructure) | Virtual servers, storage, network | Operating system, apps, data | AWS EC2, Azure VMs |
| PaaS (Platform) | A ready platform to run your code | Your app and data | Google App Engine, Heroku |
| SaaS (Software) | Finished software in a browser | Just your data and users | Gmail, Shopify, Salesforce |
Pizza analogy: IaaS = rent a kitchen, PaaS = take-and-bake pizza, SaaS = pizza delivered to your door.
🛍️ Scenario: Launching an Online Clothing Store
SaaS (Shopify, Daraz store)
Live in a day with no coders needed. ✅ Fastest and cheapest to start.
❌ Limited customisation, monthly fees, and you depend on the platform.
PaaS (App Engine, Heroku)
Your developers build a custom site, and the provider runs the servers.
✅ Flexible. ❌ It needs a developer.
IaaS (AWS EC2)
Full control of the servers and software.
✅ Most control. ❌ It needs IT skills and the most management.
Typical path: start on SaaS, then move to PaaS or IaaS as the business grows.
🧪 Activity: IaaS, PaaS or SaaS?
1. A college uses Google Workspace for student email. → SaaS
2. A start-up rents 4 virtual servers and installs Linux itself. → IaaS
3. A developer uploads code and the platform handles servers and scaling. → PaaS
4. A firm keeps payroll in a web app it logs in to with a browser. → SaaS
5. Netflix runs its streaming system on rented AWS computing. → IaaS (mostly)
🎬 IaaS, PaaS and SaaS
🏢➡️☁️ Why Move from On-Premise to Public Cloud?
- 💸 CapEx becomes OpEx: no big upfront server purchase. You pay monthly instead.
- 📈 Scalability: handle a festival sale spike (for example, Dashain) without buying servers that sit idle all year.
- 🛠️ Less maintenance: the provider handles hardware, power, cooling and repairs.
- 🌍 Reliability and reach: backups in several data centres, so customers get served worldwide.
- ⚡ Speed: launch new services in days, not months.
Watch out for monthly bills that grow with use, dependence on one provider ("lock-in"), and internet reliability.
🔐 Cloud Security Is Shared: The Capital One Breach (2019)
Shared responsibility model: the provider secures the cloud itself (buildings, hardware). The customer secures what they put in it (settings, passwords, data).
- Capital One, a large US bank, stored customer data on AWS.
- A misconfigured firewall set up by the bank let an attacker reach the data.
- About 100 million people in the US and 6 million in Canada were affected. The bank was later fined US$80 million.
- AWS itself was not hacked. The mistake was in the customer's own settings.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet.
- It's a giant network of "smart" devices.
- These devices collect and share data from the world around us.
- The goal: to make our environments smarter and more responsive.
A Smart Speaker
The Core Idea of IoT
Physical World
Objects, environments, people
Digital World
Data, analysis, actions
🌉
IoT is the bridge between the physical and digital worlds.
How an IoT System Works: A 4-Step Process
1. Sensors/Devices 📡
Collect data from the physical world (e.g., temperature, motion).
3. Data Processing ☁️
Data is processed in the cloud to extract meaningful information.
2. Connectivity 📶
Send the collected data to the internet via Wi-Fi, Cellular, or Bluetooth.
4. User Interface/Action ⚡
Information is presented to the user or an action is triggered automatically.
🎬 Everyday Things Online
🧪 Activity: Sensor or Actuator?
A sensor senses the world (input). An actuator acts on the world (output).
1. A soil-moisture probe in a tea garden. → Sensor
2. A valve that opens to water the field. → Actuator
3. A smoke detector. → Sensor
4. A motor that locks a smart door. → Actuator
5. A GPS tracker on a delivery van. → Sensor
How it Works: Smart Thermostat Example
- 1. Sensor: The thermostat's sensor detects the room temperature is 18°C.
- 2. Connectivity: It sends this data ("18°C") to the cloud via your home Wi-Fi.
- 3. Processing: A cloud service checks your setting (e.g., "keep at 21°C") and sees 18°C is too low.
- 4. Action: The cloud sends a command back to the thermostat: "Turn on the heat." 🔥
Major Applications of IoT
🏡 Smart Home
Thermostats, smart bulbs, security cameras, and smart speakers that learn your habits.
⌚ Wearables
Smartwatches and fitness trackers monitoring health metrics like heart rate and daily steps.
🏙️ Smart Cities
Connected traffic lights, smart parking meters, and efficient waste management systems.
Practical Application: IoT in Nepal
- 💧 Water Management: Smart meters in Kathmandu to monitor water usage and detect leaks, helping conserve a precious resource.
- 🏔️ Agriculture: Soil moisture sensors to help farmers in the Terai region optimize irrigation and improve crop yields.
- ⚡ Energy: Monitoring of remote hydropower stations to predict maintenance needs and prevent outages.
- 🚗 Smart Parking: Systems to guide drivers to empty parking spots in busy urban areas like New Road.
🛡️ Why IoT Devices Are Easy Targets
- 🔑 Default passwords like "admin/admin" are never changed.
- 🔄 No updates: many cheap devices never get security patches.
- 💻 Weak hardware: too little power for strong encryption.
- 🕳️ Every device is a door: one weak camera can expose the whole network.
- 👁️ Privacy: cameras, speakers and wearables collect sensitive data.
Defences: change default passwords, update firmware, and put IoT devices on a separate Wi-Fi network.
🐠 Real Case: Hacked Through a Fish Tank (2017)
- A North American casino installed an internet-connected thermometer in its lobby aquarium.
- Attackers broke into the thermometer, then used it to move deeper into the casino's network.
- Data was sent out to a server abroad before the security firm Darktrace spotted it.
Lesson: the weakest connected device decides how strong your security is.
🚙 Real Case: The Jeep Cherokee Hack (2015)
- Security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek hacked a Jeep remotely through its internet-connected entertainment system.
- From miles away, they changed the radio and wipers, and then cut the engine on a highway, with a WIRED journalist driving (as a planned test).
- Chrysler recalled about 1.4 million vehicles to fix the flaw.
When IoT controls physical things, a cyberattack can become a safety risk.
🎬 Hackers Kill a Jeep
🔍 Discussion Point
Potential Risks
What are the potential privacy risks of having so many connected devices in our homes and cities?
Privacy Concerns 🔒
- Vast amounts of personal data collected
- Unauthorized data access
- Data used for profiling
Security Threats 🛡️
- Hacked devices
- Devices used in botnet attacks
- Potential for physical disruption
Summary & Key Takeaways
- 🎯 IoT is a network of physical objects embedded with sensors to connect and exchange data over the internet.
- 📊 IoT systems follow a 4-step process: Collect (Sensors), Connect (Connectivity), Process (Cloud), and Act (Interface/Action).
- ⚡ Major applications include smart homes, wearables, and smart cities, with growing use in Nepal for agriculture and resource management.
💬 Discuss in Groups (3 minutes)
1. Your family's dairy business wants milk-temperature sensors plus cloud dashboards. Pick SaaS, PaaS or IaaS, and justify your choice.
2. Would you let an insurance company track your driving through an IoT device in exchange for a cheaper premium? Why or why not?
3. Who should be responsible when a cheap smart camera gets hacked: the maker, the seller or the buyer?
Exam Practice 📝
Short answer
- Compare IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS from the perspective of an entrepreneur launching a new e-commerce startup.
- Define the Internet of Things with two examples.
- What are the key business benefits of shifting from an on-premise data center to a public cloud?
- What is the difference between a sensor and an actuator?
Exam Practice 📝 (continued)
Long answer
- Explain the components and working of an IoT system with a suitable diagram.
- Discuss the benefits and challenges of adopting IoT in Nepal’s agriculture or logistics sector.
Revise the answers in the full notes linked on the last slide.
Image & Video Credits
Images
- CERN datacenter: Hugovanmeijeren, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Server Room: Carl Lender, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Gen smart speaker: Smart Home Perfected, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Nest learning thermostat in living room: AG20044018, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- IRRI rice drone demo: Christopher Hedreyd (PIA 4A CALABARZON), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Large Fish Tank @ Honolulu Aquarium: Daniel Ramirez, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Videos (YouTube)
- Tec2Check, "The main DIFFERENCES between IaaS, SaaS and PaaS explained" (7–96 s)
- GCF LearnFree, "What is the Internet of Things?" (0–82 s)
- WIRED, "Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on a Highway" (40–129 s)
Thank You
Questions before we wrap this hour?
Next: Unit 10 · Session 4 — Web 2.0 and Web 3.0
📖 Read the full notes: Cloud Computing, Virtualization, and Green Computing · The Internet of Things (IoT)
📖 Related chapter notes
Read first, then revise with this deck: