Are Your Smart Gadgets Causing Security Problems?

Every day, the list of smart gadgets grows, which does take a lot of the tedium out of managing your day to day routine. But each new technological boost drags new dangers along with it. Whether you are using smart devices at home or at work, caution and robust cybersecurity are paramount.

We call the world of connected non-network devices the Internet of Things (IoT) . As more devices are connecting to the internet, new security risks grow as well.

It's time to examine some new ways to keep your IoT devices safe.

What are the risks of IoT devices?

Cybercriminals increasingly use IoT devices as an easy way to gain access to your information, and these smart gadgets are vulnerable to many types of threats. Some of the common risks include:

Bad passwords

First, we have to bring up the obvious yet again - STOP using the world’s reigning champ as both the most common and easiest to crack password: 123456. And using 654321 is just as lame. Most IoT devices have default passwords, and cybercrooks know them. Since many users do not change them, this vulnerability makes their lives easy to hack. VERY easy.

Update your software regularly

Old software typically has bugs, which hackers exploit. Too many users overlook the necessity for updates, which typically include security patches.

No encryption

We live in a world where everything requires encryption, but most IoT devices don’t have it, so any hacker can read the data, and crooks don’t bother to steal what they can’t read.

How to enhance IoT security?

There are a few tricks you can use to make IoT devices more secure. Here are the main solutions:

Use Strong Passwords

It’s so simple, but most people don’t create good, strong passwords. Always change the default passwords and replace them with long and complicated passwords and make them unique for every device. IT Support LA provides some good tips in our page Creating Strong Passwords.

Always encrypt your data
As mentioned above, scramble your data transmissions so hackers can’t read them and turn on encryption when it’s an option.

New technologies can bolster IoT security

One good thing to do is to learn and use your keyboard shortcuts – they can save you a lot of time.

Use AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI can detect behavioral anomalies within the devices. In case of any potential attack, it can notify the users. AI learns what your devices typically do and it improves itself over time.

Use Blockchain

Blockchain not only stores settings data like the temperatures, position, arrival times and status of shipping containers as they move, but it will make devices’ data tamper-proof. It builds a secure record of every action that has taken place by/to a device.

Edge Computing

In the context of IoT, edge computing refers to processing and analyzing data generated by IoT devices at the edge of the network, near the data source, rather than sending it to a centralized cloud or data center. This approach reduces latency, bandwidth usage, and costs by pushing the processing of data closer to the device itself. It reduces the possibility of data interception.

What is a recommended step to secure IoT devices in a corporate environment?

There are several steps that will improve IoT network security:

Develop a Security Policy

Just face it: most areas of your business need to have a written policy, and IoT is no different. Establish regulations relating to the use and security of IoT devices and make sure that all employees are properly trained on these regulations.

Use Network Segmentation

Using network segmentation, you can isolate the IoT devices from other networks. In the event of a device breach, it limits the extent of the damage.

Also perform these on a continuing basis:

Regular security audits

Vulnerability checks

Quick solutions to problems

How consumers can protect their IoT devices

First, by heeding the tips provided above, but do these as well:

Before buying, do your homework

With a bit of due diligence, you can choose devices from companies that take security seriously. Make sure the devices you buy perform regular updates.

Make sure your home network is secure

As with everything else, choose a strong password for your Wi-Fi and enable network encryption. Wi-Fi security is all too often overlooked.

Be judicious about what you connect

You should only connect devices you need and use regularly. Disconnect devices when not in use – this may seem cumbersome, but better safe than sorry.

What is the IoT security market forecast?

You can expect IoT security to keep changing. Here are a few of the trends to watch:

Tightening of regulations

Governments do like to make new laws, so expect them to create new, stricter regulations concerning IoT security. This is often what forces manufacturers to make safer devices.

Ready-made security as a ‘built-in’

It is to be expected that in the future, IoT devices should come more secure straight out of the box. Examples of this could include automatic encryption.

Better user control

Look at devices that give you more control over your device security. Consider user-friendly security dashboards.