IoT device attacks got doubled in the first half of 2021

The Internet of Things or IoT is a system of interconnected devices. It explains the intricacies of physical objects ingrained with sensors that not only participates in the act of connecting and exchanging data with other devices all over the world over the Internet platform, but also involves numerous concerns regarding the growth of IoT technologies and products. 

 

Such concerns hint at the risks revolving around the growth, specifically in the areas such as privacy and security. IoT may offer a myriad of technologies and products, but, on the other hand, smart devices offer new venture points and security vulnerabilities for online criminals like cyberattacks surge.

 

(Related Reading: 5 Biggest IoT Security Issues in 2020)

 

IoT devices at risk

 

According to TechRepublic, it has been observed on the basis of Kaspersky data which is shared with the former that attacks on IoT devices have increased to a great extent in the last year. It can be estimated to be hitting double in 2020.

 

A security expert at Kaspersky, Dan Demeter mentioned the essentiality of IoT devices  in our day-to-day lives that range from "smartphones to smart home accessories".

 

He added how cyber criminals have been laying their eyes on this area for quite some time in order to scrutinize their intensified approach towards smart devices.

 

In order to inspect potential cyber attacks, Honeypot has been quite useful in detecting more than 1.5 billion cyberattacks. All these cyberattacks were concerned with IoT devices. 
 

(Must Check: Cybersecurity in the Internet of Things (IoT) World)

 

According to Kaspersky, the graph saw a steep rise in the first half of 2021, which is more than double the number of attacks recorded in the first half of 2020.

 

Where's the Trou-de-loup?

 

The preferred transition to remote work have inadvertently formed new venture points for the cyber criminals to devise their attacks.

 

These entryways offered a golden opportunity for attackers for myriad reasons,  among which the cyber criminals can DDos such connections. This would cause disruption in the work process and workflows. 

 

As a consequence, they would gain access to organizational networks via "misconfigured or insecure VPN gateways," as Kaspersky observes. 

 

And at the same time, the cyber criminals would collect user accounts from "vulnerable devices."

 

Demeter believes that the attackers are motivated through financial means and that, "DDos services are always profitable." Such factors end up infecting IoT devices.

 

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Through the process of sending emails, Phishing or targeted attacks, IoT devices that are misconfigured and vulnerable fall into the trap of cyber criminals who will "try to exploit them in order to profit off them to gain money."