What it is and the dangers of it.

The Internet of Things, IoT, refers to physical objects that connect to the Internet to collect and exchange data with other devices. IoT devices can range from small objects—household objects to large objects—industrial tools. IoT is a term mainly used for devices that are not expected to have internet connection.

When COVID-19 took over the world in 2020, for the first time, the number of IoT connections were higher than the number of non-IoT connections.

As the importance of IoT in the world continues to increase. It was also predicted that by 2025, there would be more than 30 billion IoT connections, just about 4 IoT devices per person on average.

There are different types of IoT—Industrial IoT (IIoT) and Consumer IoT (CIoT).



Security of IoT

IoT devices are said to have poor security. Some reasons for its poor security are the lack of regulations, the fragmentation of software and hardware and also, the companies’ hurry to have the devices available in the market quickly.

With this being said, IoT devices are primary targets for botnets, which ultimately infect and compromise networks. Infected IoT devices are also made to be part of botnets, which uses them in DDoS attacks. IoT devices are also used in ransomware attacks, data theft and more in other cases.


Other threats of IoT devices
  • AI in IoT Threats
    AI-based attacks have started happening since 2007, mostly used in social engineering attacks and enhancing DDoS attacks. Over the years, cybercriminals have been able to use the development of AI to enhance their IoT threats—automate them and make them more flexible.
  • Deepfakes for IoT Threats
    Cybercriminals make use of tools that were used in deepfake videos, for IoT threats. As audio and images deepfakes have been perfected, the other deepfake that has not been perfect is video. Despite so, it is predicted that cybercriminals will perfect deepfake videos, which allows video-call social engineering attacks to be more common.
  • More Specialized Cyber Crime
    Due to COVID-19 changing the world, there are many new vulnerabilities that cybercriminals would aim to target. Cyber crime often mirrors trends in the honest business, which involves increasing refinement on the side of the criminals. This leads to more specialization and outsourcing, which means, many cybercriminal groups could be involved in a single attack. Cybercriminals who build IoT threats specialize, diversify and also benefit from outsourcing the same manner businesses have done so.
  • Breakdowns between State-Sponsored and Criminal Attacks
    Many “state-sponsored” cyberattacks have been carried out by criminal gangs entangled with government agencies, including military and spy agencies.
    With the increase of specialization and outsourcing, nation-states will be able to hire unaffiliated cyber gangs to do malicious crimes. Eventually, it will get harder and harder to differentiate a state-sponsored attack from one that is not.

  • How to Secure Your IoT Devices

    There are a few methods to secure your IoT devices and here are some:

  • Change the name and password of your router
  • Use strong passwords
  • Avoid using public Wi-Fi
  • Use a guest network for visitors
  • Use a strong encryption method like WPA for Wi-Fi access
  • Take special care to secure top-level control of your IoT network
    (Use two-factor authentication, biometrics, a pass card, or a dongle to ensure that a hacker won't be able to produce both proofs of identity required)

  • One of the many products out there that is able to provide continuous protection for your IoT devices is from Firewalla, which you can check it out here.

    Secure your IoT devices before you become a victim of IoT threats!

    For any enquiries or feedback, do write in to us at care@compaqs.com or contact us at (+65) 6262 0402.

     

    Sources
    Oracle, What is IoT
    BehrTech, Consumer vs. Industrial IoT: What You Need to Know
    Zdnet, What is the IoT? Everything you need to know about the Internet of Things right now
    Security Intelligence, 5 IoT Threats To Look Out for in 2021
    Kaspersky, Secure IoT devices on your home network