{"id":3170,"date":"2018-07-31T15:54:09","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T19:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/endpoint-security\/?p=3170"},"modified":"2018-07-31T15:54:09","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T19:54:09","slug":"neglecting-your-enterprises-iot-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/endpoint-security\/neglecting-your-enterprises-iot-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Neglecting Your Enterprise’s IoT Security?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Recently, endpoint security solution provider <\/span>Trend Micro<\/span><\/a> released the results of their research survey into enterprise-level Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The study raises the question: are you neglecting your enterprise’s IoT security?<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to the Trend Micro study, only about 50% of enterprise-level IT security decision-makers believe the IoT is a security vulnerability\u2014that an IoT attack poses a threat to their business. 43% consider IoT security an afterthought in their IoT deployment strategies. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet simultaneously, the stakes for neglecting your enterprise\u2019s IoT security have never been higher. Trend Micro found that 52% of enterprises say that a loss in customer trust is the top consequence of an IoT data breach, with monetary losses coming in second (49%). 63% of respondents agree IoT-related cybersecurity threats are increasing, especially over the past year; enterprises have experienced an average of 3 connected-device attacks over that time frame. <\/span><\/p>\n

The enterprise IoT attack surface is also growing. The average enterprise has 16,000 IoT devices connecting its networks every day, according to a Ponemon study. But what does this all mean? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Neglecting Your Enterprise’s IoT security Could Mean<\/b><\/h3>\n

The discrepancy between IoT threat knowledge and action could mean that neglecting your enterprise’s IoT security opens a quiet, unmonitored attack vector into your networks. <\/span><\/p>\n

We here at Solutions Review have written about it before but it bears repeating\u2014IoT devices are generally <\/span>not <\/span><\/i>designed or manufactured with endpoint security in mind or in any way involved in the manufacturing process. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even if IoT manufacturers do give some consideration to cybersecurity, the security firmware they install is often comparatively pitiful to what they actually need to stand up to digital threat actors. Moreover, IoT security is difficult to update, receiving only infrequent patches at best. IoT connections to your enterprise network may make them invisible to your endpoint security or SIEM solution. <\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, they are almost the perfect attack vector for the digital threat actor. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Mirai botnet attack\u2014which shut down Internet access on the American east coast\u2014is the most drastic but by no means the only example of an IoT attack at its worst. IoT attacks can use unsecured devices to spoof Wi-Fi connections and directly access your network, use them as a launch pad to steal shared data, use them as an entryway for malware, ransomware, or cryptocurrency miners. <\/span><\/p>\n

This could apply to <\/span>any <\/span><\/i>IoT device. Perhaps the most famous example in the present time is the casino hit with a financial IoT attack via a smart fish tank. But Ken Munro of Pen Test Partners demonstrated during his Identiverse Keynote Speech that hackers could steal a Wi-Fi password through a smart kettle. He also demonstrated that hackers could hold physical heating systems for ransom through similar tactics. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly, neglecting your enterprise’s IoT security is not a viable option. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take Your Enterprise\u2019s IoT Security Seriously<\/b><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s how to stop neglecting your enterprise’s IoT security: <\/span><\/p>\n