Most Cybersecurity Professionals Lack a Plan to Deal with Attacks on IoT Devices

Only 40% of cybersecurity professionals know how to deal with attacks on IoT devices in their organization, new research from Neustar International Security Council (NISC) shows.

Cybersecurity professionals need to plan for all types of intrusions in their organizations, and that includes threats towards IoT devices. But the new research by The International Cyber Benchmarks Index unveiled that less than half of security professionals are prepared to deal with such an attack.

The latest trends show a sharp increase in the number of IoT devices, which should reach 38.5 billion by 2020. This number alone should be enough to persuade companies to ensure adequate protection. The concerns are well-founded as 9 out of 10 professionals see IoT ecosystems as a possible threat.

“With IoT devices and equipment now being such a fundamental part of business, organizations are continuing to connect more devices to their networks, resulting in an increased attack surface,” said Rodney Joffe, Chairman of NISC and Security CTO at Neustar, according to Darkreading.com. “This not only opens businesses up to more attacks, it also gives malicious actors new opportunities to breach security systems.”

The survey also reveals that 48% of companies already say they have experienced attacks against their IoT infrastructure. On the other hand, only 27% of organizations feel “very confident” that they can deal with IoT attacks. A total of 38% of organizations don’t even have a plan to deal with bad actors going after their IoT devices.

IoT vulnerabilities are inherent to any complex network, and security specialists will have a difficult time when they need to manage hundreds of devices in a single company. It’s impossible to know when problems will arise, but it’s essential to have a plan for when an attack happens. Because it’s already a matter of when and not if.

The International Cyber Benchmarks Index September 2019 survey includes 303 professionals from five European markets and the United States.