The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to everyday physical objects that have sensors, software, and a network connection built in, allowing them to collect data and communicate — often with each other, and often without a person actively involved in the moment.
In a home, this looks like a thermostat that learns your schedule, a doorbell that sends a clip to your phone when it detects motion, or a fridge that tracks when you're running low on milk. In industry, it scales up to sensors on factory equipment that predict a failure before it happens, or shipping containers that report their location and temperature in real time.
The trade-off that comes with all this convenience is a much larger attack surface: every connected device is a potential entry point for an attacker, which is why securing IoT devices — often overlooked compared to phones and laptops — has become its own specialized corner of cybersecurity.