K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
We live in a highly connected world. There are already approximately 10 billion connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and their number is expected to grow to over 25 billion by 2030. They also vary across every conceivable industry; simple IoT sensors and consumer-focused smart home gadgets have been joined by sophisticated medical devices, next-generation automotive technologies, industrial IoT hardware, and so on.
While greater connectivity will unlock immense potential for technology innovators, it also creates increasing cybersecurity threats. According to Kaspersky research, the number of attacks on IoT devices more than doubled during the first half of 2021. Bad actors have increasingly targeted firmware, as it has historically been one of the most overlooked aspects of device security.
Last year, Microsoft noted that 83% of businesses reported a firmware attack in the prior two years – an astonishingly high rate!
Securing devices has become more complex
Three primary roadblocks now stand in the way of securing our highly connected world: increasing cybersecurity risks, a widespread scarcity of cybersecurity expertise, and the complex, ever-changing global regulatory landscape. For everyone in the ecosystem – device manufacturers, suppliers, systems integrators and other stakeholders at every level, from chip to cloud – the task of navigating compliance complexity while mitigating cybersecurity risks has become incredibly tough.
In the past, companies commonly shipped connected devices with barely sufficient security and left customers to handle the risks. Today it’s no longer sufficient to simply bring a quality product to market in a timely manner – organizations must ensure their products are secure at the core, so they can continue to operate safely in the modern threat landscape, where attacks on firmware are both foreseeable and common.
Without sophisticated security expertise in-house, many companies are seeking guidance and best practices so they can move quickly to meet heightened customer and regulatory demands. Of course, organizations can always use tactical tools to remediate identified vulnerabilities. However, as NIST research shows security flaws continue to pile up, this haphazard approach will surely catch up to teams who rely exclusively on responsive rather than proactive security strategies.
Continue reading: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/16/securing-iot/
While greater connectivity will unlock immense potential for technology innovators, it also creates increasing cybersecurity threats. According to Kaspersky research, the number of attacks on IoT devices more than doubled during the first half of 2021. Bad actors have increasingly targeted firmware, as it has historically been one of the most overlooked aspects of device security.
Last year, Microsoft noted that 83% of businesses reported a firmware attack in the prior two years – an astonishingly high rate!
Securing devices has become more complex
Three primary roadblocks now stand in the way of securing our highly connected world: increasing cybersecurity risks, a widespread scarcity of cybersecurity expertise, and the complex, ever-changing global regulatory landscape. For everyone in the ecosystem – device manufacturers, suppliers, systems integrators and other stakeholders at every level, from chip to cloud – the task of navigating compliance complexity while mitigating cybersecurity risks has become incredibly tough.
In the past, companies commonly shipped connected devices with barely sufficient security and left customers to handle the risks. Today it’s no longer sufficient to simply bring a quality product to market in a timely manner – organizations must ensure their products are secure at the core, so they can continue to operate safely in the modern threat landscape, where attacks on firmware are both foreseeable and common.
Without sophisticated security expertise in-house, many companies are seeking guidance and best practices so they can move quickly to meet heightened customer and regulatory demands. Of course, organizations can always use tactical tools to remediate identified vulnerabilities. However, as NIST research shows security flaws continue to pile up, this haphazard approach will surely catch up to teams who rely exclusively on responsive rather than proactive security strategies.
Continue reading: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/16/securing-iot/
