The bane of IoT

By CIOReview | Monday, December 4, 2017

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has taken off and leading IoT providers are in a hurry to become the hub of this digital revolution. According to Verizon’s latest report, in excess of 8 billion devices will be connected via the internet by 2017, a 31 percent increase from the previous year. As of late, the lack of widely accepted standards in industries pertaining to IoT is a major concern and the associated risks posted pose a great burden to businesses.

The risks are plenty and can come from any and all directions. The fundamental weakness with regard to IoT is a number of devices. The proliferation of devices means more access points for the hackers and in turn, a greater chance of security breaches. Though enterprises take utmost care when choosing software and machinery, they also need to constantly update their system to keep up with the advanced hacking threats. However, hackers are not the only threat to users. When customers leverage platforms for interconnecting their devices, they leave themselves vulnerable as the gathered personal data can be misused with malicious intent.

To safeguard systems from malicious attacks, the network must be powered with security capabilities. The systems must be self-sufficient in case of crashes during data transmission and should be able to recover lost data by itself. Furthermore, backing up the data regularly can save enterprises from massive downtime and financial losses. Additionally, authentication of data and the information associated with it can massively help reduce both physical and digital breaches. Above all, users themselves must be aware and do necessary research of their own to mitigate the threats. It is no secret that IoT possesses unimaginable opportunities for business and domestic use alike but not without potential risks.