Telecom equipment maker Ericsson has famously predicted there will be 50 billion devices connected to data networks by 2020.

Those connected devices won’t include just computers and smartphones, but cars, homes and industrial devices, constantly sending and receiving a flood of data.

That convenience comes with a potential dark side.

For hackers, cybercriminals and even armies, all those newly networked machines represent billions of new targets for mischief, thievery and assault.

“We understand that as our lives move into a completely digital connected world, it has to be secure and safe,” said Geoff Hollingworth, Ericsson’s Plano-based head of Internet protocol services strategy for North America.

“It’s no different than the real world, where you have to feel you can move down the street and not get attacked.”

The security problem will be much broader than securing your laptop or even your smartphone.

Soon, the car in your garage, the electrical meter on the side of your home, the products you buy at the store, and the industrial controls at the factory that made those products will all be connected to various networks and the Internet.

And each new networked device is a potential entry point for a hacker.

Addison-based Revere Security Corp. develops security software for that new wave of connected devices.

About a year ago, the company moved from perfecting its algorithms to pitching its products to customers, which include everything from the U.S. military to power companies.

One of Revere’s biggest opportunities is in the new wave of high-tech smart power meters.

“The industry is luckily moving toward security controls on smart meters,” said Chris Hanebeck, vice president of product management and marketing at Revere.

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