With new and smarter technology emerging everyday, more and more IoT devices are becoming a part of our daily routines. This includes a wide range of things, from smart kitchen appliances such as fridges, kettles and speakers to fitness related devices like smart watches, bracelets and scales. Each of those are connected through WiFi, Bluetooth or other technology and gain access to important personal data for your own convenience. However, such devices can also pose huge cybersecurity threats and an IOT security audit can help you protect yourself. Here’s everything you need to know.
Why is IoT security important?
Initially, IoT security audits may sound like something only businesses and organisations should be concerned with, as they are responsible for protecting much higher amounts of data as well as meeting industrial data privacy regulations. However, your personal data is just as likely to be targeted by cybersecurity attacks and, therefore, just as important to protect.
Malicious cyber attacks are getting more sophisticated and sneaky, which is why data protection processes are regularly updated and improved. However, the IoT devices do not always automatically update or get scanned for suspicious activity. The consequences of an attack can be severe, including loss of sensitive information, the hacker using it for blackmail, getting access to your financial and banking details, identity theft and so on. IoT security audits can help you protect yourself by ensuring that your devices are safe and using the best cybersecurity processes available.
What is an IoT security audit?
An IoT security audit is essentially a very thorough check of all your IoT devices as well as all exposed infrastructure that they have access to. This may include your wireless connections and ports, backend services, insecure default settings, compromised passwords, outdated components and other insufficient security measures.
All of those will be examined in order to detect any potential security vulnerabilities in your devices. Different methods will be used for this – in some cases, a fake attack will be initiated to see how well your IoT devices perform against it. Once vulnerabilities have been found, these will be solved and further cybersecurity measures will be suggested.
How often should I get an IoT security audit?
While businesses should have IoT security audits done regularly, it is really up to consumers if and when they want to do them too. There is certainly no harm in getting an IoT security audit regularly (once every year or two) just to make sure that your devices have not been exposed to any threats and are still using the latest and updated security measures. On the other hand, some people choose to get security audits one a one-time basis only, if they feel like they could benefit from one.
The general recommendation, however, is to seek an IoT security audit whenever you find that your devices and data could be exposed to potential threats. For instance, if you recently bought a new smart device that has access to sensitive information, or if one of your devices has been recently flagged for a potential security risk.
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