IoT Security

IoT Security Awareness

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This year has brought some of the most formidable challenges in history, with coronavirus and pandemics underscoring the need for many organizations to withstand crises of this magnitude to keep assets and resources safe. It should come as no surprise that this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month focuses on the importance of proactive steps to improve cybersecurity. IoT security cannot be neglected, especially when it comes to corporation IoT.

With 83 billion IoT connections expected by 2024, it is more important than ever to take the right steps to protect devices and networks. With many IoT deployment and systems, organizations must manage dozens of decentralized connected devices, which are tempting targets for malicious actors. Many organizations remain vulnerable and must take immediate action, even in the face of threats such as ransomware, phishing and ransomware attacks.

Acknowledging The Threat

Many IoT experts and organizations welcome Cyber Security Awareness Month by highlighting the importance of cybersecurity in their own organizations. This month is an opportunity to sow the right seeds for cybersecurity and make an impact in the IoT community.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month offers all professional groups the opportunity to engage in a conversation about security issues. Of course, there are still gaps in what we know and do, but we have initiated a number of initiatives, such as Cyber Security Awareness Week and Cyber Security Month Awareness Day. Once again we recognize the importance of consciousness and devote our efforts to the practical implementation of the accumulated knowledge.

Don't Become a Statistic

This is particularly important in industrial IoT (IoT), where the potential for cyber security breaches and cyber attack threats is almost unlimited. The consequences of violating the IoT are far-reaching and will likely affect the businesses, resources and people we serve. For example, last year, a denial-of-service attack disrupted the operation of a large number of US health facilities. We risk incalculable amounts of investments if we do not integrate security into our devices.

IoT Security is a Priority

The good news is that more and more companies are recognizing the critical importance of security and no longer seeing it as a disadvantage. The pandemic took a massive toll on IT budgets, and security was treated as a secondary issue. IoT operations, what these threats mean to you and what they report daily.
This is changing as organizations finally take up inadequate encryption and data protection measures to protect themselves from liability and compliance problems. This overlooked problem is becoming a legal requirement in the IoT input table as governments introduce and expand the use of encryption, data storage, and other data security measures. If organizations want security for their devices, they should prioritize the necessary investments in security, not choose cheap products that look and feel good. The lifetime of an IoT device is 10-15 years, which means it is essential to update the firmware regularly to ensure the highest level of security.
In fact, a study by Digi International found that 43% of IoT devices communicate with insecure devices, compared to 98% for consumer devices, and the main reason is the lack of firmware updates. In the future, companies are expected to rely more on centralized device management tools to improve control and visibility across their entire network, rather than managing at device level. These tools can help administrators update firmware, apply security patches, fix tape management problems, etc. Problems arise when organizations use thousands of devices and operate them without thinking.

MFA is Now a Necessity

With a growing population of people working remotely and a number of threat scenarios exploiting these situations, it is a perfect storm to make security the top priority. The growing threat of identity theft, data loss and data theft means that passwords alone are not enough. Passwords are still the most common method of authentication, but due to growing threats such as phishing, ransomware and other types of attacks, the password alone is not enough. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) goes beyond standard usernames and passwords and increases the importance of giving access to the right people by adding something that the user must add to the list of things they need to have.
Now time to put this knowledge into practice to fully secure the IoT. Education and open communication with peers will take you to the next level. Utilize our free services to help your business find the very best IoT Security Solutions! Give us a call or fill out a contact form.