As we are becoming more reliant on connected devices to run our homes, businesses and daily lives cybersecurity has been elevated to the top of many peoples’ priorities. However, the kind of threat that IoT devices face is vastly different from those that are encountered on traditional computers. They require a completely new set of methods and tools to defend against them.
With a myriad of different IoT device types on the market, each with its own operating systems, software and functionality It’s not a surprise that malware attacks targeting these types of devices are increasing. The lack of standardized software can create challenges when trying to create security tools that work across several devices.
In 2016 threat actors created one of the largest botnets of all time by executing a hack on IoT devices. This caused a tsunami of the Internet and rendered websites like The New york Times’s website, Brian Krebs’s site, and French web host OVH impossible to access for hours. The attackers scanned the Internet to find default usernames and passwords for IoT devices. They then gathered a horde of IoT users to launch DDoS attacks.
IoT and antiviruses play a vital role in defending against these types of threats. However, this type security software must expand its vigilance to include monitoring the way IoT devices communicate with each other and to the external world, and keeping strong password practices in place Two-factor authentication, up-to-date patching. These measures, when paired with other security tools to guard against IoT threats, are an effective way to protect yourself.