IoT security

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly growing in various industries, such as automobiles, healthcare, logistics, telecommunications, and manufacturing, and is gradually changing our lives. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), by 2025, there will be 416 million IoT devices connected to the network, generating data of up to 79.4 ZB.

Generally speaking, devices with network connectivity can be considered IoT devices. In recent years, gadgets and appliances that can connect to the Internet have become more and more common. When we need to connect various intelligent devices to the network, it means that a large amount of data must be transmitted between devices. This can easily create opportunities for cybercriminals to control vulnerable devices and carry out large-scale attacks.

Recently, Microsoft pointed out that Russian hackers known as "Strongium" have used printers, video decoders, and other IoT devices to hack into corporate networks. Many IoT devices still use preset passwords, allowing hackers to easily invade the target network without much effort. In fact, this is not the first time hackers have used IoT devices for network attacks. There used to be attacks that turned cameras, closed-circuit televisions, and routers into weapons of intrusion, causing significant losses to businesses, and theMiraibotnet virus that caused a global sensation in 2016 was one of them.

In 2016, theMiraizombie network virus controlled intelligent devices such as closed-circuit televisions and network cameras to turn them into zombie machines and carry out large-scale network attacks. At that time, the DNS service provided by the American companyDynsuffered from multiple large-scale denial of service attacks (DDoS) initiated byMirai, affecting multiple popular websites that could not be browsed properly, includingTwitter,Reddit,Netflix, andCNN. It is estimated that tens of millions of IP addresses are being used to flood a high traffic website, causing unprecedented network disruptions.

To effectively ensure the security of the Internet of Things, it is necessary to pay attention to the challenges faced by enterprises.

Lack of after-sales updates is one of the security issues. Many developers only focus on the release of new products to increase sales, and neglect the after-sales safety updates of IoT devices. Regular software and hardware updates are crucial for IoT security. Otherwise, these devices may become security vulnerabilities, leading to large-scale data leaks and damaging personal or company reputation.

Another challenge is the Brute Force attack. Many devices use simple preset usernames and passwords, such as"admin","password", or"1234", allowing hackers to easily invade theIoTdevice by repeatedly experimenting with simple combinations. To more effectively protect data security, it is recommended to reset the password when starting to use the device and change it to a complex password combination.

In addition to device issues, insecure communication can also lead to network security risks. Conversations conducted through the internet may contain personal information or trade secrets. To establish secure and confidential transmission, enterprises should also encrypt communication between various IoT devices and different platforms to ensure data and information security.

With the growing demand for Internet connected devices, we are entering the era of intelligent life. However, considering that IoT devices require the collection and use of a large amount of personal data, security remains one of the biggest challenges. In the future, we believe that the integration of blockchain applications will contribute to the development of the Internet of Things. Without mature and secure IoT infrastructure, the development of IoT cannot be complete.

CITIC International Telecom provides one-stop information security and information security management services. Through the efficiency and Disaster Recovery (DR) capabilities of multiple security operation centers (SOC), it can provide efficient data and cloud security services to protect enterprises from network threats.