Escaping Vendor Mortality: A New Paradigm for Extending IoT Device Longevity
Conner Bradley, David Barrera · New Security Paradigms Workshop · 2023
Internet of Things (IoT) devices are increasingly being treated as disposable, becoming unsupported shortly after deployment and ending up in landfills prematurely. IoT manufacturers lock devices to their ecosystems and prioritize the development of new devices over the support of legacy product lines. This paper argues that a paradigm shift is needed to increase IoT device longevity. We review the unique challenges that IoT manufacturers face in extending device lifetimes, and identify software and security updates as a key requirement for device longevity. We propose a new IoT device software stack and lifecycle that allows devices to continue safe operation even after the vendor disappears. While we recognize that the sustainable design and management of IoT devices is a complex sociotechnical problem, we hope that the ideas in this paper helps guide future discussions on this important topic.