As we become more and more dependent on connected resource devices to run our homes, businesses and daily lives cybersecurity has been elevated to the top of many peoples’ priority lists. But the type of threats that IoT devices are facing is quite different from the ones found on traditional computers, and require a totally new set of tools and strategies to protect against them.
It’s not surprising that the number of malware attacks on IoT devices are increasing. Every type of device has its own operating system software, features, and functions. Lack of standard software may make it difficult to create security tools for a variety of devices.
In 2016, threat actors employed a simple hack on IoT devices to launch one of the biggest botnet attacks in history that shook up the Internet and making websites like The New York Times, Brian Krebs’s website and French web host OVH inaccessible for hours. The attackers simply searched the Internet for default usernames and passwords on IoT devices, then assembled an army of them to launch the DDoS attack.
In order to protect against these types of threats, antiviruses and IOT have a vital role to play. However, this kind of security software must increase its vigilance to include a monitoring of the way IoT devices communicate with each other and with the external world, and keeping strong password practices in place two-factor authentication, as well as up-to-date patching. These measures, when combined with other security solutions to protect against IoT threats, provide an effective way to protect yourself.
