OBJECTIVE 01 — IoT CONCEPTS AND ATTACKS

WHAT IS IoT — CORE DEFINITION (EXAM)

Term Definition
Internet of Things (IoT) A network of physical objects (“things”) embedded with sensors, software, and connectivity that enables them to collect and exchange data over the Internet

MEMORY HOOK:
Things + Sensors + Internet

IoT vs IoE (EXAM TRAP)

Term Meaning
IoT Internet of Things
IoE Internet of Everything (people, data, processes, things)

MEMORY HOOK:
IoT ⊂ IoE

WHY IoT IS IMPORTANT (EXAM CONTEXT)

Reason
Automation
Remote monitoring
Data-driven decisions
Cost reduction
Smart environments

HOW IoT WORKS (STEP FLOW — MUST MEMORIZE)

  1. Sensors collect data from environment

  2. Data sent to gateway

  3. Gateway forwards data to cloud

  4. Data is processed and analyzed

  5. User accesses data via remote application

  6. Actions/alerts triggered if conditions met

MEMORY HOOK:
Sense → Send → Store → Analyze → Act

CORE IoT COMPONENTS (EXAM TABLE)

Component Description
Sensors Collect data
Actuators Perform actions
IoT Gateway Bridges devices to Internet
Cloud Server Data storage & processing
Remote App User interaction

IoT ARCHITECTURE (EXAM FAVORITE)

IoT LAYERS (TOP → BOTTOM)

Layer Purpose
Application Layer User-facing services
Middleware Layer Data processing & management
Internet Layer Communication
Access Gateway Layer Protocol translation
Edge Technology Layer Sensors & devices

MEMORY HOOK:
App → Middleware → Internet → Gateway → Edge

EDGE TECHNOLOGY LAYER (EXAM)

Includes
Sensors
RFID
Actuators
Embedded devices

ACCESS GATEWAY LAYER

Function
Device authentication
Message routing
Protocol translation
Data aggregation

INTERNET LAYER

Purpose
Device-to-device
Device-to-cloud
Device-to-gateway communication

MIDDLEWARE LAYER

Functions
Device management
Data filtering
Access control
Analytics

APPLICATION LAYER

Examples
Smart home apps
Healthcare dashboards
Industrial control apps

IoT APPLICATION AREAS (EXAM TABLE)

Sector Examples
Smart Home Lighting, HVAC
Healthcare Wearables, implants
Industrial IIoT, automation
Transportation Smart traffic
Retail Smart shelves
Energy Smart grids
Security Surveillance

MEMORY HOOK:
Home, Health, Industry, Transport

IoT COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (VERY HIGH YIELD)

SHORT-RANGE WIRELESS

Technology Use
Bluetooth LE Low power
NFC Short-range auth
RFID Identification
ZigBee Low data, mesh
Z-Wave Smart homes
ANT Wearables
Wi-Fi High bandwidth

MEDIUM-RANGE WIRELESS

Technology Use
Wi-Fi Standard connectivity
LTE-A Higher throughput
6LoWPAN Low-power IPv6

LONG-RANGE WIRELESS

Technology Use
LPWAN Long-range IoT
LoRaWAN Low power, long range
Sigfox Small payloads
NB-IoT Cellular IoT
VSAT Satellite

MEMORY HOOK:
LoRa + Sigfox = long range, low power

WIRED COMMUNICATION

Technology Use
Ethernet Stable wired
MoCA Coaxial
PLC Power lines

IoT OPERATING SYSTEMS (EXAM LIST)

OS Notes
Windows 10 IoT Microsoft
RIOT Lightweight
Ubuntu Core Snap-based
Amazon FreeRTOS AWS
Zephyr Low-power
Embedded Linux Common
TinyOS Sensor networks

MEMORY HOOK:
FreeRTOS = Amazon

IoT APPLICATION PROTOCOLS (CRITICAL)

Protocol Purpose
CoAP Lightweight HTTP
MQTT Publish/Subscribe
AMQP Message queuing
XMPP Messaging
LWM2M Device management

MEMORY HOOK:
MQTT = IoT messaging king

IoT COMMUNICATION MODELS (EXAM FAVORITE)

DEVICE-TO-DEVICE

Description
Devices communicate directly
Uses Bluetooth, ZigBee
Smart home scenarios

DEVICE-TO-CLOUD

Description
Device communicates directly with cloud
Uses Wi-Fi, Cellular

DEVICE-TO-GATEWAY

Description
Gateway acts as intermediary
Protocol translation

BACK-END DATA SHARING

Description
Cloud shares IoT data with third parties
Used for analytics

MEMORY HOOK:
D2D, D2C, D2G, Back-end

CHALLENGES OF IoT (EXAM TRAPS)

Challenge
Lack of security & privacy
Default credentials
Weak encryption
Insecure web interfaces
Limited storage
Patch difficulty
Interoperability issues
Physical tampering
Vendor lock-in
Unstructured data

MEMORY HOOK:
Cheap + connected = vulnerable

COMMON IoT ATTACK TYPES (INTRO – DEEP DIVE LATER)

Attack
DDoS
Botnets
Jamming
BlueBorne
Rolling code attacks
Firmware tampering

OBJECTIVE 01 — EXAM MEMORY BLOCK

IoT connects physical devices using sensors, gateways, and cloud services.
It uses layered architecture, lightweight protocols, and diverse communication technologies.
Security is weak due to default credentials, limited resources, and poor patching.
Multiple communication models exist, each with unique risks.

OBJECTIVE 01 — STATUS

Item Status
IoT concepts COMPLETE
Architecture COMPLETE
Protocols COMPLETE
OS COMPLETE
Communication models COMPLETE
Challenges COMPLETE
Exam alignment EXACT