Articles about Internet of Things

While businesses generally take care to protect desktop and mobile computing devices, the rise in IoT usage has meant that lots of potentially less secure equipment is sneaking onto networks.

Forescout Research Labs has been assessing the risk of over eight million devices across a number of industries via its Forescout Device Cloud, a repository of connected enterprise device data.

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IoT devices are skyrocketing in popularity -- almost everything can connect to the internet these days. You may have some of these in your home or business and not even realize it. Smart bulbs that sync with home management apps, IP camera systems, weather displays on smart refrigerators, smart thermostat -- basically all of the devices you would not expect to have an internet connection that do. This is highlighted further by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic now that the workforce is 100 percent remote and IT teams had to quickly enable remote work, all while ensuring security.

IoT devices make our lives a little easier and more convenient, but they come at a price as they provide new attack vectors for savvy cyber attackers. Gartner forecasts that there will be over 20.4 billion connected IoT devices in 2020, giving those attackers a lot of targets to choose from. On top of that, recent research indicated that IoT device hacks have increased by 300 percent, furthering the point that unprepared home network devices are easy targets for cybercriminals.

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The rapid evolution of cybersecurity remained a major issue for small businesses in 2019, being named the top concern for all businesses, regardless of their size. Along with an increase in the number of cybercrimes, the cost of recovering from an attack means keeping ahead of the curve is vital for SMBs going forward.

This is challenging enough for businesses operating on a small budget, but fast-paced changes in technology mean that security resources are increasingly being stretched in a number of directions. Rather than protecting a single, traditional office, security must now cover a whole range of devices used for IoT and mobile working. Proactivity is now essential to an effective security strategy. By looking ahead to the trends of the next 12 months, SMBs can begin to identify the new challenges around cybersecurity that they will need to prepare for.

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A new report from Kaspersky shows 61 percent of companies globally have implemented IoT applications as the technology benefits businesses with savings, new income streams and increased production efficiency.

But 28 percent of organizations have experienced cybersecurity incidents targeted at connected devices, highlighting the need to protect IoT technology.

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A 1,500 percent increase in IoT traffic over the past year and a rise in unauthorized devices being used in the workplace represents a major threat to enterprise security, according to a new report.

The latest IoT report from cloud security company Zscaler reveals its customers are now generating more than a billion IoT transactions each month. Analysis of just two weeks of this traffic through Zscaler cloud found 553 different IoT devices across 21 categories from 212 manufacturers.

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The latest communications industry insight report from IWCE (International Wireless Communications Expo) shows that industry insiders believe 5G has more potential than other technologies to create safe cities.

Key elements of a 'safe city' are a shared infrastructure with common sensors, multi-agency collaboration, situational awareness using real-time data, video and data analytics, and automated processes.

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With Windows 7 now at its end-of-life, the need to update outdated systems is of the utmost importance. This is especially true for Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Control System (ICS) environments, as vulnerabilities in these older systems can lead to attacks that result in costly downtime, catastrophic safety and environmental incidents, and theft of sensitive intellectual property.

We spoke to Phil Neray, vice president of industrial cybersecurity at CyberX, to find out more about why updating these systems is so imperative and to hear some recommendations about how organizations can go about doing so.

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Operator-billed revenue from 5G IoT connections will reach $8 billion by the end of 2024, up from $525 million in 2020 -- growth of more than 1,400 percent in five years.

A new study from Juniper Research forecasts that 5G IoT connections will be considered as new connections that won't cannibalise existing operator connectivity revenue from current IoT technologies.

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If it's a Philips Hue bulb the answer to the question in the headline above is just one according to new research from Check Point which has uncovered vulnerabilities that could enable a hacker to deliver ransomware or other malware to business and home networks by taking over the smart lightbulbs and their controller.

Researchers focused on the market-leading Philips Hue smart bulbs and bridge, and found vulnerabilities that enabled them to infiltrate networks using a remote exploit in the ZigBee low-power wireless protocol that is used to control a wide range of IoT devices.

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There are expected to be more than 70 billion connected devices by 2025, which means the opportunity for hackers to infiltrate connected devices, and to get onto networks, is going to get much larger.

So how can businesses prepare for this influx, train their staff and get ahead in order to protect their critical data from cybercriminals who are always keen to update their tactics and strategies? We spoke to Jonathan Langer, CEO of healthcare device security specialist Medigate to find out.

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Internet of Things devices are now an accepted part of our home and business lives. They've led to increased focus on edge computing too thanks to the large volumes of data they generate, but what do industry experts think is going to happen in this sector in 2020?

Karl Sigler, threat intelligence manager at Trustwave SpiderLabs thinks the dev-security lifecycle will become the Achilles heel for IoT devices. "IoT devices are not getting any safer. With the huge influx of IoT devices in homes and organizations, the attack surface targeted by criminals is just getting larger and more diverse. Manufacturers and developers need to take the security reins. But today's IoT solutions are often missing security quality assurance during their product development lifecycle. High bandwidth, direct connections to the internet via 5G will increase the threat of Mirai-like botnets. These direct connections will also provide attackers the ability to bypass perimeter protections that are normally in place in homes and organizations. All manufacturers should add security vetting to their product development lifecycle, especially with the cloud and 5G in mind, to get IoT device security in check before the number of vulnerable devices in the market becomes overwhelming."

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An exploitable design flaw with a smart lock means attackers can easily overcome it and the lock's inability to receive updates means it can't easily be fixed.

Researchers at F-Secure found they were able to exploit poorly designed protocols in the KeyWe Smart Lock to intercept the secret passphrase that controls the lock as it's exchanged between the physical device and the mobile app.

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How big is the Internet of Things (IoT) market? According to a Gartner report, by 2020 connected devices across all technologies will reach 20.6B. The early adopters of this technology can be found in agriculture, utilities, and cities, but the applications are seemingly endless and extend into homes and even wearable devices. In a similar manner that the Internet has changed our lives, so too will its extension into many "things" that connect and extract pertinent data to improve our personal and professional existence.

Interjecting smarts into muted devices will require new methods of connectivity.

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With more and more devices now connecting to the internet, the risk of a security breach from an unsecured piece of kit grows too. But exactly how big is this problem?

Workplace productivity and network security software specialist CurrentWare  has produced an infographic looking at the impact of the IoT on workplace security.

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The IoT has the power to unleash the smart city, providing data-backed insights that can be used to inform sustainability initiatives, enhance operations and influence municipal planning and budgeting. However, the potential of this technology is currently capped by a few critical barriers -- namely, security and cost.

To capitalize on insights derived from the IoT and truly become "smart," resource-strapped cities need a solution that 1) requires lower upfront investment than traditional options, and 2) ensures top-notch security. What is that solution? It could be a 0G network.

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