https://www.iotworldtoday.com/wp-content/themes/ioti_child/assets/images/logo/mobile-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • Roundups
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Podcasts
    • Strategic Partners
    • Latest videos
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Submissions
  • Events
    • Back
    • Embedded IoT World (Part of DesignCon) 2022
Iot World Today
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • Roundups
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Podcasts
    • Strategic Partners
    • Latest videos
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Submissions
  • Events
    • Back
    • Embedded IoT World (Part of DesignCon) 2022
  • newsletter
  • IIoT
  • Cities
  • Energy
  • Homes/Buildings
  • Transportation/Logistics
  • Connected Health Care
  • Retail
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Development
  • Security
ioti.com

Security


iStock / cosmin4000

IoT security may be winning a lot of repetitive-sounding media attention, but the risks are real.

Could IoT Security Breaches Change History?

Although many of the risks may be overhyped, cybercriminals could spark monumental change by attacking security targets related to the Internet of Things.
  • Written by Brian Buntz
  • 30th August 2016

Sadly, in our digital world, threats seem to come out of the ether. It’s not hard to imagine cars and planes crashing as a result of a cyber attack. Or hackers bringing down a network of power plants. Or a global adversary influencing U.S. elections by hacking voting machines. “The next president will probably be forced to deal with a large-scale internet disaster that kills multiple people,” says Bruce Schneier, a security technologist in a Motherboard article.

Such IoT doomsday scenarios not only grab attention, they can actually happen. They are even likely, say some security experts.

Hackers Rigging Elections 

Hackers who breached the Democratic National Committee in July showed the world that hacking a U.S. election is now possible. A recent survey from Tripwire found that 60 percent of security professionals believe that cyber criminals are influencing the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

“Election security is critical, and a cyberattack by foreign actors on our elections systems could compromise the integrity of our voting process,” a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee wrote in a letter recently.

After Bush v. Gore in 2000, electronic voting machines were seen as a more-accurate alternative to older technologies. That’s because nearly two million paper ballots were disqualified in Florida because they caused errors when inserted into vote-counting machines.

You have to understand the fact that we are not going to win. 

A Princeton grad student, for instance, broke into a voting machine dubbed Sequoia AVC Advantage in seven seconds, Politico reported. Princeton professor Andrew Appel co-authored a research paper in 2008 that found that the AVC Advantage machine could be easily breached with viruses that can cause inaccurate tallies of votes.

The FBI recently announced it had uncovered evidence that hackers had broken into election databases in Arizona and Illinois, taking personal data from up to 200,000 people in Illinois. ABC News reported that the FBI has warned all states to improve the security of online voting systems.  

IoT-Fueled Cyberwarfare and Other Risks

A cyberwarfare arms race has been going on behind the scenes. The uncovering of the Stuxnet virus, purportedly developed with the support of the NSA, showed that advanced malware existed in 2010 and that spy agencies could destroy Iran’s nuclear centrifuges.

According to a 2013 article in Der Spiegel—roughly the German equivalent to Time magazine—NSA is looking to move beyond mass surveillance with hopes of developing cyberweapons that can target infrastructure, including power plants, water supplies, factories, airports, and banks.

Related: Select the Most Vulnerable Security Targets

Content loading…

After Stuxnet, Iran reportedly beefed up its cyber militia. Iranian hackers were believed to be behind a 2013 attack on a New York dam and a separate attack on the U.S. banking system in that same year. 

And it’s not just Iran. Earlier this year, John Hyten, commander of Air Force Space Command, reported that China and Russia had developed “cyber tools [and other weapons] to deny, degrade, and destroy our space capabilities.”

Attackers in China are increasing the scope of its targets around the world, Bloomberg reports. According to Kaspersky Labs, Chinese hackers have launched 194 attacks against Russian defense, nuclear, and aviation targets in the first seven months of this year.

Many of these alleged attacks sound preposterous to those outside of cyber-security circles, yet they hold seeds of truth.

Security expert Pablos Holman says, “Most hacking is super esoteric. All that is happening is some zeros are changing into ones in a computer somewhere. But when you talk about something like shutting down the power grid, that is something people can relate to.”

New Opportunities for Hackers

The yearly loss at the hands of cybercriminals for the global economy is in the ballpark of $400 billion. It’s only going to get worse with the Internet of Things, which brings billions of connected devices and a smorgasbord of operating systems to the cyberscape.

IoT is expanding at a rate that leaves many security experts on edge. Only three out of 10 security experts say they feel confident in their organizations’ ability to protect against IoT-related risks, according to a recent survey from Tripwire. Even worse, only half say their organization accurately tracks the number of IoT devices on the network.

While there’s little consensus on how to respond to IoT-related cyberattacks, one thing is certain: Anyone using IoT better think carefully about security, because nightmarish IoT attacks can and will occur.

“You have to understand the fact that we are not going to win,” Holman says. “You have to play the game, and that game is pretty well defined. Make sure you are not the low-hanging fruit. The attacker has got to be really motivated to go after somebody specific. Usually, they are going after whoever is easiest.”

Tags: Article Security Technologies

Related


  • IoT Security Firm to Acquire Medical Security Startup
    Claroty is set to acquire Medigate to grow its foothold in securing the Internet of Medical Things
  • Ransomware Attack Could Impact Paychecks
    The Kronos ransomware attack affected the company’s private cloud service over the weekend, knocking it offline just before the holidays
  • Image shows an abstract digital big data concept.
    BotenaGo Malware Targets Millions of IoT Devices
    AT&T Alien Labs identified the malware that has left millions of IoT devices exposed.
  • IoT Startup Raises $10M
    Platform aims to bolster network security with automated device configurations and visibility.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your IoT World Today account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Content

  • IoT Device Security at the Edge Poses Unique Challenges
  • Zero-Trust Security for IoT: Establishing Rigorous Device Defenses
  • AI Ups the Ante for IoT Cybersecurity
  • Protecting Your Network Against Ripple20 Vulnerabilities

Roundups

View all

IoT Product Roundup: PTC, Nokia, Arm and More

19th May 2022

IoT Deals, Partnerships Roundup: Intel, Nauto, Helium and more

14th May 2022

IoT Product Roundup: Amazon, Synaptics, Urban Control and More

27th April 2022

White Papers

View all

The Role of Manufacturing Technology in Continuous Improvement Ebook

6th April 2022

IIoT Platform Trends for Manufacturing in 2022

6th April 2022

Latest Videos

View all
Dylan Kennedy of EMQ

Embedded IoT World 2022: Dylan Kennedy of EMQ

Dylan Kennedy, EMQ’s VP of global operations, sat down with Chuck Martin at Embedded IoT World 2022.

Embedded IoT World 2022: Omdia’s Sang Oh Talks Vehicle Chip Shortage

Omdia’s automotive semiconductor analyst sits down with Chuck Martin at this year’s event

E-books

View all

How Remote Access Helps Enterprises Improve IT Service and Employee Satisfaction

12th January 2022

An Integrated Approach to IoT Security

6th November 2020

Webinars

View all

Rethinking the Database in the IoT Era

18th May 2022

Jumpstarting Industrial IoT solutions with an edge data management platform

12th May 2022

AI led Digital Transformation of Manufacturing: Time is NOW

9th December 2021

Special Reports

View all

Omdia’s Smart Home Market Dynamics Report

7th January 2022

Cybersecurity Protection Increasingly Depends on Machine Learning

28th October 2020

IoT Security Best Practices for Industry and Enterprise

20th October 2020

Twitter

IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Access a world of opportunity in 2022 with @IoTWorldToday ➡️ Now is time to unlock ROI, by accessing a global com… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

3D Home Printer to Build 72 Residences for National Homebuilder dlvr.it/SQhWSF https://t.co/XJOs70DqzH

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Microsoft Ramping up Cybersecurity Service Offerings dlvr.it/SQhPR0 https://t.co/nYzaDRnyVY

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

IoT Product Roundup: PTC, Nokia, Arm and More dlvr.it/SQhNNF https://t.co/ZApdw3RHdu

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Britain’s postal service has plans to run a fleet of autonomous #drones to make rural postal deliveries easier.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Britain’s postal service has plans to run a fleet of autonomous #drones to make rural postal deliveries easier.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Tesla Plans ‘Many Cool Updates’ at Annual Event dlvr.it/SQhLLP https://t.co/kgSTGBrYrG

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

@JohnDeere’s acquisition of #AI startup Light continues to advance its roadmap toward @autonomous farming.iotworldtoday.com/2022/05/19/joh…

19th May 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for IoT World Today newsletters: vertical industry coverage on Tuesdays and horizontal tech coverage on Thursdays.

Special Reports

Our Special Reports take an in-depth look at key topics within the IoT space. Download our latest reports.

Business Resources

Find the latest white papers and other resources from selected vendors.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IoT World Series
  • Channel Futures
  • RISC-V
  • Dark Reading
  • ITPro Today
  • Web Hosting Talk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Login/Register

FOLLOW IoT World Today ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X