7 Tips for Ensuring Protection From Cyberattacks in the IoT Era

Internet enabled “smart” wearables, home or business devices and appliances such as tablets, projectors, eye glasses, automobiles, refrigerators, dishwashers, televisions, streaming devices, baby monitors, security and monitoring systems, and even doorbells are prone to cyberattacks. There are now more than 10 billion¹ of these internet of things (IoT) devices being used globally. As cyberattacks on IoT devices increase, businesses and consumers can follow a few best practices to help ensure personal information and business or financial data is safe.  

Below is a list of helpful practices to follow when dealing with IoT devices to mitigate cyberattacks and the theft of personal, sensitive, or business data:

1. Create a unique password for all connected devices. Leaving the default password active is an easy way for anyone to gain access to your devices and personal information.
2. If you rent a car or another type of vehicle and connect your phone or device to the vehicle, remember to delete your device information before you return the vehicle.
3. Keep the number of devices that are actively connected to the internet to a minimum. The more devices on a network, the more points of vulnerability.
4. Thoroughly read internet access terms and conditions before connecting any device to an untrusted or free network. This can be a very mundane task, but it is important that you are aware of what data your device is collecting and sharing with other people on the network and the provider of the network that your device is accessing.
5. Understand your devices. Ask vendors how to keep yourself protected from unwanted viruses and hackers. Vendors should be aware of possible threats and how end users of their products can deal with those threats. 
6. Stay informed by checking with device vendors on product updates and known vulnerabilities. It’s important to keep IoT devices patched and updated. Staying on top of connected devices will help protect your business from potential cybersecurity threats. 
7. Make sure software and operating systems are up to date on all devices. These updates often fix bugs and other issues within the device software that can be used to exploit and penetrate the device. If you have not updated the software or operating system on your IoT devices in months, you’re dramatically increasing your risk of attack. Products from vendors that have gone out of business and devices that have been discontinued are highly vulnerable to cyberattacks and should be replaced with modern products or devices if no updates exist.  

Being aware of and proactively defending against possible cyberattacks and threats on your IoT devices by following the above tips is the best way to protect your business from attacks – and prevent your sensitive data and information from being stolen.

Vertek helps businesses maximize the value of their cybersecurity investments and stay protected from potential threats. To learn how managed cybersecurity will benefit your business, contact Vertek today.

Sources

1. https://dataprot.net/statistics/iot-statistics/