UPDATED 23:14 EDT / OCTOBER 31 2017

EMERGING TECH

Most consumers don’t trust ‘internet of things’ security

Despite previous claims that many consumers aren’t aware of the risks presented by “internet of things” devices, a new survey has found the opposite, with 90 percent of consumers saying they don’t trust the security offered by now near omnipresent devices.

The finding comes from digital security firm Gemalto NV in its new “State of IoT Security” report. It asked respondents across Europe about their attitudes to IoT security and what should be done to fix security problems in the future.

Of consumers polled, two-thirds said they were concerned about hackers taking control of their device, with 60 percent expressing concern about data breaches and 54 percent concerned about hackers taking control of their personal information. Confirming further that consumers are aware of the risks but unable to do much about them, only 14 percent said they believed they were extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the security of these devices so as to be able to implement security measures to protect them.

On the corporate side, the survey found that while internet of things device manufacturers and service providers only spend 11 percent of their total internet of things budget on securing their devices, many do recognize the importance of security, with 50 percent of companies already having adopted a security by design approach. Two-thirds of organizations said that they were using encryption as their main method of securing internet of things assets.

The survey also delved into security regulations, with 96 percent of businesses and 90 percent of consumers saying that they were in favor of government-enforced internet of things security regulations. In terms of what government should regulate, 61 percent of businesses said they were in favor of government regulations that would make it clear who is responsible for securing IoT devices and data at each stage of its journey. Some 55 percent supported penalizing companies that did not comply with any regulations implemented.

Like consumers, businesses were also concerned about their own knowledge of internet of things security, with 52 percent turning to cloud service providers and half to internet of things service providers to assist them in implementing sufficient security. Fewer, about 47 percent, noted that the primary reason they required assistance was a lack of expertise and skills within their company.

“The lack of knowledge among both the business and consumer worlds is quite worrying and it’s leading to gaps in the IoT ecosystem that hackers will exploit,” Gamalto Chief Technology Officer Jason Hart said in a statement. “Within this ecosystem, there are four groups involved – consumers, manufacturers, cloud service providers and third parties – all of which have a responsibility to protect the data.”

Hart added that “security by design” is the most effective approach companies should employ to mitigate against a breach. That’s because internet of things devices are often used as a portal to the wider enterprise network and “failing to protect them is like leaving your door wide open for hackers to walk in. ”

Image: Pixabay

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