23 Dec IoT Security Raises the Stakes
If, a few years ago, an IT security team told management that the company should be on the lookout for employees (or even just visitors) with malicious watches that could steal their passwords, they would surely have been scoffed at. But today, the Internet of Things (IoT) is here to stay, and very few of these internet-connected gadgets have any security to speak of. It’s no laughing matter.
We’ve all seen the recent news about hackers taking control of printers, routers, thermostats, smart TVs, security cameras, fitness bracelets, and smart watches – not to mention internet-connected cars and even commercial airliners. For some verticals, like hospitals and the medical industry, the number of connected devices that are vulnerable to hacking and malicious software is staggering.
But all the IoT hacking we see today is just the beginning. Cisco estimates that within five years there will be as many as 50 billion IoT devices connected to the Internet. Of course only a percentage of these will be in our offices and businesses, but that number is predicted to be very large.
One of the biggest problems with the explosive grown of IoT is that very few of these devices have any security. Many are competing at price points and margins that simply don’t allow a big security investment. Criminals are very aware of this trend and are already exploiting it. It’s been almost two years since Proofpoint discovered an IoT botnet, or “thingbot,” where over 25 percent of the botnet was made up of devices other than computers.
What this means is that cybercriminals have a much larger launch pad than ever before, and it’s going to become enormous very soon. We’ve got more reasons than ever before to be on guard and watching our systems for compromised user credentials and illicit behavior. Fasten your seat belts; it’s going to be an interesting but bumpy ride.
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