A new report today from Forescout Technologies Inc.’s Vedere Labs identifies the riskiest devices on enterprise networks in 2023, examining connected-device security to expand the general understanding of the threat landscape.

Thirteen of the 20 most vulnerable devices identified in this year’s report were the same as in 2022. Entering the fold in this year’s report were seven new entrants — virtual private network gateways, security appliances, network attached storage, out-of-band management devices, engineering workstations, remote terminal units and, surprisingly, blood glucose monitors.

The healthcare industry was identified as the riskiest sector in 2023, followed by retail and manufacturing. The government sector was identified as having the most reduction in risk from 2022 to 2023, with the report noting that this suggests that different sectors face varying challenges and levels of progress in managing their network security.

In terms of operating systems, platforms such as Windows and Linux still dominate across all industries. However, special-purpose operating systems such as embedded firmware are gaining ground, especially in the retail, healthcare and government sectors.

The report delved into device vulnerability, with more than 4,000 vulnerabilities identified, the majority affecting information technology devices. Although “internet of medical things” devices were found to have fewer vulnerabilities, 80% of these were classified as critical, underlining the importance of adopting stringent security measures across all device types, regardless of their quantity.

Endpoint protection was also highlighted in the report, with an astonishing finding that at least 10% of devices with endpoint protection installed across all industries have it disabled. The percentage reaches almost 24% in government and financial services and 21% in healthcare, demonstrating that even with endpoint protection installed, it’s useless if it’s not turned on and active.

Finally, the report found that open dangerous reports are still an issue, with 10% of devices in the healthcare sector having Telnet ports open, far more than other sectors.

“To bypass traditional endpoint security approaches, threat actors are consistently moving to devices that offer easier initial access,” the report concludes. “Modern risk and exposure management must encompass devices in every category to reduce risk across the whole organization.”

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