Extreme Networks: Seven in 10 Companies See Hacking Attempts via IoT

According to a survey conducted by Extreme Networks in 2019, seven in 10 organizations have reported either a successful or attempted hack to their systems via their Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Extreme Networks recently released the results of a survey that examined the view of 540 IT professionals on network security. The report revealed that organizations lack confidence in their network security and underestimate insider threats.

Extreme Networks found that IoT deployments were on the rise, with about 84 percent of respondents saying they deploy IoT devices and about 9 percent saying they wish to deploy them in the next 12 months. Of those who use IoT, about 45 percent reported that they were aware of an attempted hack of their IoT devices — and a further 25 percent responded that they were successfully hacked. The majority of organizations felt at least some risk regarding network security; only 15 percent could say that the network is secured against attacks and breaches.

The findings of the report reveal a lack of security preparedness as enterprises adopt IoT. Roughly 97 percent of respondents stated that they had an IoT security plan, but only half of them stated they had incremental/specific security measures for IoT devices. The other half stated that they used the default passwords that the devices come shipped with. This fact highlights how a sizable number of enterprises don’t pay enough attention to securing their IoT devices, settling for the bare minimum and opening up the network to attacks.

In the company’s press release, Extreme Networks’ Director of Product Marketing David Coleman stated: “Enterprise adoption of IoT, coupled with the fast rise of cloud and edge computing, is massively expanding the attack surface. But the single greatest cybersecurity threat today is inertia. This data shows that across sectors, IT professionals are not confident in their own network security. Yet so many organizations still rely on the same legacy security tools they’ve been using for decades. It’s critical for enterprises to demand multi-layered network security solutions purpose-built for the modern, hybrid enterprise.”

Learn more about Extreme Networks’ study here.