COMMENT
COMMENT
Securing IoT:
know your network,
protect your network
3. Manufacturing: 82%
have suffered an IoT
related security breach
The industrial sector
understands the need
for systems, processes
and machines to remain
interconnected. For this to
happen, manufacturers must
interconnect and automate
services where they can, but
right now this could be done
more securely. Of those who
have already suffered an IoT
related security breach,
50% were malware related
and 40% were due to
human error.
With 84% of companies surveyed reporting an IoT-related
breach, protecting your network is crucial, says Jose Vasco,
Regional Director, MEMA at Aruba.
This is a gap that needs
closing, particularly as
manufacturers look to
connect devices such
as chemical sensors
and picking systems to
reduce operational risk
and maintain operating
infrastructures.
D
o you think about the need
to secure IoT? It could be a
patient monitor, a security
camera or a lighting system; every
connection to the network is a
potential route for attackers. This is
quite a new concept to many, but
it’s a very real problem. From 3,100
companies surveyed by HPE Aruba,
84% reported experiencing an IoT-
related breach.
Across industries like healthcare,
government, manufacturing and retail,
there are literally thousands of use
cases that are relying on IoT. Each one
demands a different type of device,
potentially a different security protocol,
and this creates endless threats.
We need to be able to see these
devices and where they’re connecting,
to be able to protect them. Below
is a ‘top 4’ list of industries that
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have suffered the most IoT-related
breaches, with further detail on how
IoT is being used in each. This gives
an idea of the challenge we face.
1. Healthcare: 89% have suffered
an IoT related security breach
By 2019, 87% of healthcare
organisations will have adopted IoT
technology. Patient monitors and
X-ray/imaging devices are some of
the most-used IoT devices, to create
services like location tracking and
remote control of devices.
Knowing the location of medical
devices is a huge benefit to patient
wellbeing, but security fears cast
a big shadow. Nearly half (49%)
of healthcare companies reported
malware issues on their devices and
39% reported that human error led
to an IoT-related security breach.
2. Government: 85% have
suffered an IoT related
security breach
When adding new elements to a city
infrastructure, governments must
balance old and new technology. In
the case of IoT, it’s about balancing
legacy tech with a secure network
to create the smart city and 49%
of government workers find this a
particular challenge. Governments are
further behind in their adoption of
IoT than some industries; 35% of IT
decision makers within government
roles claim that leadership has little or
no understanding of IoT.
This lack of understanding, with
limitations of legacy technology
within cities and security risks
associated with IoT implementation
are presenting a huge challenge to the
wider development of the smart city.
www.intelligentcio.com
4. Retail: 76% have suffered an IoT related
security breach
Over half (56%) of retailers who have implemented IoT in
their stores are allowing personal mobile devices to access
the network in order to enhance the customer experience.
Getting in-store promotional messages, based on location,
is huge business and IoT can enable that.
But taking into account the 41% of retailers who have
already suffered from an IoT related attack because of
malware issues, it’s clear that they need to find a middle
ground between consumer benefits and protecting their
network from attack.
Total network visibility
Across all of these industries, it’s clear that companies
need more information about the devices connecting to
their network. Network managers require the ability to
create policies/permissions around each of them, so
that if a device is compromised by malware or
human error, it can be identified and removed from
the wider network.
www.intelligentcio.com
Jose Vasco, Regional Director,
MEMA at Aruba
When I am speaking with customers, no matter what
industry, I’m hearing the same thing. Everyone wants to
be fully customised in terms of how they approach the
network, while staying secure.
To get there, the network must be totally visible. When
analysed and accessed, the information gathered
should give you the opportunity to be more granular in
pinpointing and securing devices with different levels
of threat, while granting different levels of access to
different users.
IoT within business is already happening and the growth
of its use across all industries is inevitable. Businesses
shouldn’t let security threats be the barrier between a
market leading or non-competing company, particularly as
there are existing solutions to turn IoT into opportunity,
not threat. ¡
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