IoT Cyberattacks Surge 300% in 2019
A new report released by F-Secure notes that cyberattacks have gone up over three hundred percent. The amount of attacks, according to the report, comes in at about 2.9 billion throughout 2019 thus far. While the numbers are staggering, they are expected. The rise in popularity of the IoT as a medium for collecting and transmitting data remotely means that far more devices are deployed for the purpose. The resulting increase in the number of attacks may not speak to the security of the system, but rather the sheer number of devices there are throughout the world.
How the team collected their data was through a system of “honeypots.” these IoT servers seem like nondescript, regular connected hubs for IoT devices, with a catch. When a malicious attempt is made, the attack is recorded and logged, whether successful or not. F-Secure notes that since they have been using this method for detecting breaches of the IoT, this is the first time the amount of attacks has ever hit a billion.
A Potential Gateway
While IoT devices may not always store data on the node itself, they still pose a potential problem to wireless and network security. IoT devices have traditionally struggled to implement security measures. The tiny nature of the device means that manufacturers only have so much space to deal with. Combining the functional parts of the gadget leaves little room for security measures. The result is that these tiny machines provide a point of easy access to any network they exist on.
It isn’t difficult to break into one of these devices. While manufacturers are slowly ramping up the viability of their security measures, it remains a significant concern for all users of the devices. Data breaches from IoT devices could potentially disrupt the entire network of the company that deploys them, allowing malicious actors to place software directly into the path of internal network traffic. While the volume of attacks is not surprising, they should come as a warning to businesses about choosing secure IoT devices for their installations.
