For the 62% on US adults who own at least one connected device, it’s an easy call to say that IoT is the future of connectivity. From Alexa to Smart TVs, almost all IoT devices are currently connected to internet. The convenience and novelty of IoT is continually growing, but security isn’t necessarily growing along with it.
IoT devices remain among some of the easiest to hack. From default passwords to UPnP, there are plenty of openings for cyber criminals to strike, and even just one poorly secured device could be the way in to a whole treasure trove of personal data. These concerns got so extreme that in 2015 the FBI issued an official warning straight from its offices. Stating the security risks of IoT devices and the importance of keeping security patches up to date, the FBI advised caution to users. Just a year later some of our IoT fears were realized when the largest DDoS attack ever took place against Dyn, the company controlling much of the world’s DNS infrastructure. Huge portions of the web suffered and went down as a result, including Twitter and Netflix. This malware was able to gain access through, you guessed it, unsecured IoT devices with default passwords.
IoT devices are only as secure as we make them and it’s up to us to make sure they stay that way. Take a look at this infographic for more on the dangers of IoT, the current state of IoT security, and how it’s adapting to meet the demands of consumers everywhere.
