New Internet of Things plan targets global infrastructure

A new action plan for the Internet of Things (IoT) increases the possibility that Chinese-built connected infrastructure in the United States could become a platform for data access, cyber pre-positioning and attacks on U.S. cyber-physical systems in a prolonged crisis or confrontation.

The plan, launched jointly by nine ministries, defines IoT as a total cyber-physical environment that links “people, machines and things” across sensing, networks, platforms, applications and security, and sets targets for 10 billion terminal connections, more than 50 standards, and deployment across production, consumption and governance.

The plan indicates Beijing is moving from connected devices to connected backbone systems. It reinforces the new Five-Year Plan, suggesting that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) wants to supply not only endpoints like sensors, appliances, and vehicles but also the next generation of AI, computing and space-ground communications infrastructure that will underpin them.

Read more at Jamestown