Ground Theory Based Empirical Analysis of Security Issues and Challenges Associated with Internet of Things

Sangeetha S. K. B.; Sandeep Kumar Mathivanan; Saurav Mallik; Hong Qin

doi:10.47852/bonviewAIA52022523

Authors

Sangeetha S. K. B. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India
Sandeep Kumar Mathivanan School of Computer Science and Engineering, Galgotias University, India
Saurav Mallik Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Arizona, USA
Hong Qin Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewAIA52022523

Keywords:

grounded theory, Internet of Things, IoT components, security, threats, privacy, focus group

Abstract

Using the Internet and its interconnected technologies, people and equipment will be able to communicate not just in real time but also at anytime and anywhere. Therefore, it is impossible to ignore the myriad risks associated with such rapidly evolving technology or their effects on almost everything. The study’s goal is to gain a better understanding of how the Internet of Things functions and, most importantly, what security, privacy, and trust issues are associated with it, moreover, what factors people need to think about when purchasing, using, and disposing of such devices. A thorough analysis is carried out to understand privacy and security problems regarding IoT devices and people’s opinions of them. The collected data are analyzed using fundamental theory, and the responses are categorized to find several themes. The findings indicated that technical interest, comfort, and cost savings are people’s top priorities for smart IoT devices. Important conclusions are reached, and understanding the underlying theory makes people more familiar with common sense when it comes to security and privacy concerns with IoT devices. The findings showed how much people knew about IoT device risks in proportion to their age and level of technology interest. Young people are happier and more conscious than grownups. Other suggestions for the acquisition, use, and disposal of IoT devices are also presented.

Received: 24 January 2024 | Revised: 10 October 2024 | Accepted: 28 October 2024

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Author Contribution Statement

Sangeetha S. K. B.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Formal analysis, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Project administration. Sandeep Kumar Mathivanan: Methodology, Validation, Investigation, Supervision. Saurav Mallik: Validation, Investigation, Supervision. Hong Qin: Validation, Investigation, Supervision.