Which device is the easiest to hack?

14 Jul 2019

Which device is the easiest to hack?

You have probably heard of this term – The Internet of Things (IoT). Let’s understand what this term means, and why it is the headline today.

IoT means exactly what it says – when devices connect to the internet directly, without a human being initiating that connection - that is called the Internet of Things. The devices that connect to the internet in this way are called connected devices.

Examples of IoT

All those “smart” gadgets in the house and “smart” car navigation systems are all IoT devices. A security camera that sends a live feed to the mobile phone, a fitness device that sends data to a central server so you can access it anywhere, a home lighting system that takes its orders from an app on your phone – these are all IoT devices. Alexa and Google Home are IoT devices.

If the internet is involved, can hacking be far behind? A study conducted in May 2019 found that 47% of the attacks on connected devices were on – wait for it – home security cameras! The next most vulnerable device type was home management systems – Alexa and Google Home.

How many connected devices are there?

According to a report by Statista, 45 million smart devices were installed in the US alone, in just 2018.
 	In 2019, that number is expected to grow by 12%.
 	In India, only 1.5% of all households report having connected smart device.

How big is the problem?

During the first week of May 2019, SAM (the company that conducted this study) noticed a large number of remote access attempts, originating primarily from three countries: China, USA and Iran, 50% of which were by botnets (programs whose main job is to perform a repetitive task until they succeed).
 	USA and China were also the top 2 countries where homes were targeted.

What are governments doing about it?

Within 2019, Europe, US, and Japan have worked to secure IoT devices in their countries.
 	In Japan, the government will try to track private devices, make a list of the vulnerable ones, and work with the citizens to make them secure.
 	In the US, the government has introduced a proposal that, if passed, will ensure that all govt. agencies can only use secure connected devices.

Credit: TCP

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