Far too many connected devices have the password set to “1234” or “admin” (estimates are in the 500 million+ range). Shodan claims to be the first search engine for The Internet of Things (IoT) and has been called by some the scariest search engine in the world because it can locate such devices.
These devices include security cameras, thermostats, garage doors or blood glucose meters (for diabetics), but also gas station pump controls, automatic license plate readers, traffic light controls, maritime satellites or electric vehicle chargers, etc…
The more devices that are ubiquitous in businesses, the higher the risk, as a single point of failure opens the door to numerous attacks. Therefore, security must be a top priority when dealing with IoT devices.
Solutions range from securing the IoT network, authenticating IoT devices, using IoT encryption, using IoT PKI security methods, using IoT security analytics, using IoT API security methods, testing IoT hardware, developing secure IoT apps, preventing the rapid deployment of IoT devices, and knowing the latest IoT security threats and breaches.