K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
Internet of Things (IoT) devices have always been hard to secure because they incorporate components from multiple vendors. Manufacturers now struggle to deploy products amid a supply chain crunch that could last into 2024. Expediency has come at the expense of security as businesses focus on other high-priority issues.
In a survey we recently conducted with the Ponemon Institute, only half of respondents said their company assesses the security of its own products before they are shipped to customers. The security of an IoT device is very important to 76% of respondents, but only 41% say their organization makes it a priority.
The risks of a manufacturer sending, or a retailer or consumer accepting, devices without proven security are very real. Attackers might access sensitive data through unprotected devices or recruit compromised devices to form a botnet as part of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. According to Spamhaus, the third quarter of 2021 saw a meteoric 82% rise in the number of new botnet command and controllers (C&Cs) over the second quarter.
IoT devices can also be an attractive target for a hacker looking to sabotage something bigger. We have already seen hackers compromise pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, remotely drive a Jeep off the road, and accelerate the threat of ransomware for connected cars.
Meeting production deadlines doesn’t have to mean shipping devices that aren’t secure. Security testing represents an urgent need for device manufacturers, and in order to prioritize it, we need to make it faster and more automated.
Product security impacts sales
Product leaders no longer have to wait for urgent reasons to secure their products and supply chain: These issues are already impacting the bottom line. Nearly three in five—59%—of organizations report that they have lost sales due to product security concerns.
Continue reading: https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/why-product-testing-is-the-first-step-in-device-security/
In a survey we recently conducted with the Ponemon Institute, only half of respondents said their company assesses the security of its own products before they are shipped to customers. The security of an IoT device is very important to 76% of respondents, but only 41% say their organization makes it a priority.
The risks of a manufacturer sending, or a retailer or consumer accepting, devices without proven security are very real. Attackers might access sensitive data through unprotected devices or recruit compromised devices to form a botnet as part of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. According to Spamhaus, the third quarter of 2021 saw a meteoric 82% rise in the number of new botnet command and controllers (C&Cs) over the second quarter.
IoT devices can also be an attractive target for a hacker looking to sabotage something bigger. We have already seen hackers compromise pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, remotely drive a Jeep off the road, and accelerate the threat of ransomware for connected cars.
Meeting production deadlines doesn’t have to mean shipping devices that aren’t secure. Security testing represents an urgent need for device manufacturers, and in order to prioritize it, we need to make it faster and more automated.
Product security impacts sales
Product leaders no longer have to wait for urgent reasons to secure their products and supply chain: These issues are already impacting the bottom line. Nearly three in five—59%—of organizations report that they have lost sales due to product security concerns.
Continue reading: https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/why-product-testing-is-the-first-step-in-device-security/
