IoT systems connect sensors and control networks, so device identity, secure updates, data protection, and reliable operation support safety and availability.
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Background for this topic.
Internet of Things (IoT) comprises physical devices—such as sensors, cameras, appliances, vehicles, medical equipment, and industrial controllers—that collect data, perform actions, and communicate with other devices or cloud services. Its distinctive assets include telemetry, control functions, device identities, and sometimes sensitive location, health, or operational data. Availability and integrity can be safety- or production-critical, while many devices have limited processing capacity, long service lives, and constrained maintenance access.
Security depends on the complete device lifecycle: maintain an accurate inventory, replace default credentials with unique authentication, verify firmware and provide signed, supportable updates, and restrict management interfaces through network segmentation. Exposed services, insecure update mechanisms, weak device-to-cloud APIs, physical access, and third-party components can enable unauthorized monitoring or control, compromise other systems, or conscript devices into attacks. Privacy protections should limit collection and access to telemetry, and monitoring should support detection and safe isolation without disrupting essential operations.
A joint law enforcement operation undertaken by Dutch and U.S. authorities has dismantled a criminal proxy network that's powered by thousands of infected Internet of Things (IoT) and end-of-life (EoL) devices, enlisting them into a botnet for providing anonymity to malicious actors
Threat actors have been observed actively exploiting security flaws in GeoVision end-of-life (EoL) Internet of Things (IoT) devices to corral them into a Mirai botnet for conducting distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks
Phosphorus Cybersecurity's Phillip Wylie on Asset Inventory, Password HygieneOrganizations inadvertently create cybersecurity gaps by trusting connected devices. Threat actors are shifting tactics to exploit IoT vulnerabilities when traditional attack vectors strengthen, said Phillip Wylie, xIoT security evangelist at Phosphorous Cybersecurity.
ColorTokens' Rajesh Khazanchi on Securing Convergent IT, OT and IoT SystemsThe rise of insider attacks, OT-IT convergence and vulnerabilities in IoT devices are threats to previously isolated manufacturing systems. Rajesh Khazanchi, CEO at ColorTokens, says an enterprise microsegmentation platform and a containment strategy can protect interconnected IT, OT and IoT systems.
Device Authority's Antill on Secure-by-Design and Continuous AuthenticationMany IoT devices were never designed with modern authentication - making them easy targets. Even when certificates are used for authentication, Darron Antill, CEO of Device Authority, points out that frequent expiration and limited visibility create operational and security risks over time.