More and more objects in our day-to-day lives are being embedded with network connectivity, from smart fridges to microchips under the skin. The popularity of all these new devices keeps soaring, and why not? The Internet of Things makes life easier for both the individual user and businesses. Now you can easily unlock your doors by scanning your palm or the back of your hand and businesses can stay connected to consumers consistently. So how does the Internet of Things affect cybersecurity? Is it a blessing or a curse?
Read on as we discuss the effects of IoT on cybersecurity in great detail.
What is IoT?
IoT (Internet of Things) refers to the interconnectedness of a huge variety of devices over the internet. This interconnectedness makes it possible for these devices to communicate with other similarly connected devices using embedded technology. IoT connections include but are not limited to:
- Smart home devices like Alexa
- Smart cars
- Wearable devices
- Smart agriculture
Having smart devices communicating with each other to make our lives more efficient and smoother is what most of us would consider ideal. The business sector and government organizations have also adopted the IoT to deliver better services. 83% of organizations have adopted IoT tech to boost efficiency. One of the biggest benefits of IoT is the convenience it has introduced to the healthcare system. Patients can now use wearables that track vitals while feeding all this information to the doctor for consistent tracking and monitoring.
How Does IoT Affect Cybersecurity?
Every piece of technology has both a good side and a bad side. As IoT expands, the risks also expand.
IoT connected devices are expected to reach 30.9 billion units by the year 2025 overtaking the non-IoT connections which are projected to reach 10.3 billion units by the same year.
Threats to IoT devices include:
- Zero-day exploits where hackers take advantage of a flaw or weakness that is only known to them. This means that security experts would be unaware of the existence of this flaw and, therefore, will not be taking strides to fix it.
- Malware attacks
- Denial of Service/Distributed Denial of Service
- Passive wiretapping is where data is monitored or recorded without being altered.
- Structured query language injection uses malicious SQL to manipulate databases and access restricted information.
Let’s discuss some of the ways IoT influences cybersecurity.
The IoT Connectivity Challenge
When your car is embedded with an internet connection, it becomes yet another thing for cybercriminals to target much like your smartphone or laptop. More connected devices make it necessary for cybersecurity experts to step up their game and find a way to keep up with the influx of cyber threats.
In other words, it’s a nightmare. The Internet of Things easily becomes the Internet of Threats. More IoT-connected devices equal more vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit.
Let’s talk about the Mirai Botnet. The Mirai botnet infiltrated security on several high-profile targets with IoT-connected devices in 2016 and launched large-scale distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS). Mirai affected more than 600,000 IoT-connected systems and turned them into remotely controlled bots that became part of a ‘botnet army’ that could potentially be used on bigger targets.
IoT devices also share large amounts of data, most of which is sensitive. Since the devices are interconnected, if one device is hacked, it compromises the security of all the devices that are connected to it. This means that IoT devices can lead to data leaks of astronomical proportions.
Even Disconnected IoT Devices Pause Potential Risks
Disconnecting IoT devices that are not in use may seem like a simple solution to reduce the risks of cyberattacks, but this seemingly good solution has loopholes. Most companies have taken to using AWS solutions to manage their IoT systems and the Device Shadow function also creates more problems for cybersecurity experts. The Device Shadow service creates ‘shadows’ whose purpose is to be a stand-in for a chosen device. These shadows, which are files that are uploaded into the cloud, make it possible for a disconnected device to connect to other devices or apps using its shadow in the cloud.
The shadow also facilitates interaction with the disconnected IoT endpoints. This simply means that disconnecting your device will not reduce the risk of hacking. Hackers can simply send commands to your device and those commands will come into effect as soon as the device is connected.
The best way to combat this weakness in IoT systems is to religiously monitor all devices and check all pending commands and recent history. This is where security experts come in. Cybersecurity experts can continuously monitor your devices and check for any unusual behavior or commands and counteract any attacks before they cause damage.
How Can Cybersecurity Experts Secure The IoT Ecosystem?
As manufacturers churn out new products and try to keep up with demand, security will most likely be neglected. Most IoT devices do not have large storage capabilities and this makes it a challenge to deploy antivirus software and other security measures.
One of the best courses of action for a business using IoT is to secure each device by keeping software updated as much as possible, using strong passwords, and avoiding the use of Universal Plug and Play which is meant to boost discoverability but can be easily manipulated by hackers. You can get in contact with experts who will help you secure your IoT devices and monitor them for any unusual behavior.
Help Your Business To Stay Protected From Threats That Come With IoT
Businesses that have adopted IoT need to stay vigilant and design plans to counteract the increased risk of hacking. Securing all IoT devices in your business and using multi-factor authentication, strong passwords, and more can help you to make it almost impossible for a person with malicious intent to infiltrate your system. If your IoT devices are secured, you can enjoy and exploit the efficiency that comes with IoT devices with little worry.