The Internet of Things is a term that people have started throwing around recently because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up rather accurately describing the interconnected smart devices that so many people are starting to utilize. One of the biggest concerns that experts have around the IoT is that it has a lot of security vulnerabilities which makes these devices prone to getting hacked by malicious actors and the like.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that devices connected to the IoT as well as various medical devices became a lot more vulnerable in 2021. They saw a 34% increase in the number of potentially exploitable security vulnerabilities that could be detected within them which indicates that this problem is getting a lot worse. Chances are that it will keep getting worse until and unless steps are taken to start moving things in the right direction.
This information comes from a new report published by Claroty, and it shows just how serious things have started to become. Regular IT as well as the IoT have become increasingly connected, and this means that IoT vulnerabilities could start to impact things that might seem far removed from it as well. ICS vulnerabilities are also on the rise, growing by 110% in just four years, and this might be why there were so many prominent attacks that were conducted against US based infrastructure in the second half of 2021.
The truly concerning thing is that around half of these vulnerabilities weren’t discovered by the companies themselves but rather by third parties that were not related to the companies at all. This suggests that these companies are not doing enough to locate and neutralize their own vulnerabilities, something that could potentially result in a cascading effect that would exponentially increase the negative impact that malicious actors can have. Fast action is required if people are to be protected from having their personal information stolen from them for the most part.
Read next: How to Communicate About Cybersecurity with your Loved Ones
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that devices connected to the IoT as well as various medical devices became a lot more vulnerable in 2021. They saw a 34% increase in the number of potentially exploitable security vulnerabilities that could be detected within them which indicates that this problem is getting a lot worse. Chances are that it will keep getting worse until and unless steps are taken to start moving things in the right direction.
This information comes from a new report published by Claroty, and it shows just how serious things have started to become. Regular IT as well as the IoT have become increasingly connected, and this means that IoT vulnerabilities could start to impact things that might seem far removed from it as well. ICS vulnerabilities are also on the rise, growing by 110% in just four years, and this might be why there were so many prominent attacks that were conducted against US based infrastructure in the second half of 2021.
The truly concerning thing is that around half of these vulnerabilities weren’t discovered by the companies themselves but rather by third parties that were not related to the companies at all. This suggests that these companies are not doing enough to locate and neutralize their own vulnerabilities, something that could potentially result in a cascading effect that would exponentially increase the negative impact that malicious actors can have. Fast action is required if people are to be protected from having their personal information stolen from them for the most part.
Read next: How to Communicate About Cybersecurity with your Loved Ones