As we become more and more reliant on connected devices to manage our homes, businesses and lives security has been pushed to the top of many peoples’ priority lists. But the type of threat that IoT devices face click this is vastly different from those encountered on traditional computers and require a totally new set of tools and strategies to protect against them.
With a myriad of IoT device types available each with its individual operating systems, software and functionality, it’s no surprise that malware attacks targeting these kinds of devices are increasing. The absence of standardized software can also present issues when trying to develop security tools that can be used on many devices.
In 2016, threat actors utilized an ingenuous hack on IoT devices to launch one of the most massive botnet attacks in the history of the internet that caused chaos on the Internet and rendering websites such as The New York Times, Brian Krebs’s website, and French web host OVH unavailable for hours. The attackers looked through the Internet to discover default usernames and passwords for IoT devices. They then gathered an army of IoT users to launch DDoS attacks.
Antiviruses and IoT play a crucial role in protecting against these kinds of threats. This kind of security software should be more vigilant in order to monitor how IoT devices communicate with each other and the outside world. It should also maintain solid password practices, 2-factor authentication, and current patching. These measures, when paired with other security solutions to protect against IoT threats, are a powerful defense.