Here is a list of examples of IoT security issues:
IoT Security Issues
(1) An attacker was able to access the camera of a home CCTV system and activate the camera’s microphone to eavesdrop on nearby conversations.
(2) An attacker was able to remotely access the thermostat of the smart home and increase the temperature above the maximum limit, causing damage to the heating system.
(3) A cybercriminal remotely accessed a home CCTV camera and turned it on for over 200 days, thereby draining the battery of the camera.
(4) A cybercriminal was able to take control of the car engine, brakes, and steering wheel of a car while it was driving on a highway.
(5) A cybercriminal gained full access to a smart refrigerator and was able to access the GPS location, personal photos, and emails of the owner.
(6) An attacker gained access to a smart refrigerator, took control of the webcam, microphone, and speaker of the refrigerator, and recorded a video of the owner in his own home.
(7) A cybercriminal was able to take control of a smartwatch and use it to track down its owner.
(8) A cybercriminal was able to remotely access a smart car and activate the brakes, causing an accident between two cars with three passengers each.
(9) A cybercriminal was able to take control of all devices connected to a smart home network to access cameras, TVs, air conditioners, and other devices in the home.
(10) A cybercriminal was able to take control of a smart TV and use it to spy on its owners, listen to their conversations and track their daily activities.
Let us talk about these in detail:
How can you protect yourself from these IoT security issues?
The following are ways to protect yourself from IoT security issues:
(1) Make sure that the IoT devices you purchase have a strong security protection mechanism (such as encryption);
(2) Do not connect IoT devices that have weak security protection mechanisms to the internet;
(3) Make sure that the username and password for your IoT device are unique. Not to mention, difficult to guess, and easy to remember;
(4) Make sure that the IoT device has a strong authentication mechanism;
(5) Make sure that the IoT device is not easily accessible by others;
(6) Think twice before using an unencrypted or weakly encrypted WiFi network;
(7) Use a virtual private network (VPN);
(8) Install antivirus software on any device connecting to the internet, including PCs, laptops, mobile phones, and smart TVs;
(9) Install anti-malware software on any device connecting to the internet, including PCs, laptops, mobile phones, and smart TVs;
(10) Ensure that the firmware of any connected device is always up-to-date.
Conclusion
In summary, we can see that cybersecurity is a very broad topic. We can summarize it by saying that cybersecurity is the prevention of information security incidents from happening.
(1) We can learn from the latest cybersecurity issues to discover new possible vulnerabilities in the IoT;
(2) We can use the latest cybersecurity issues to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities in our own IoT devices. Such as smart homes, smart cars, smartwatches, and smart TVs;
(3) When we purchase an IoT device, we can use the latest cybersecurity issues. For instance, to check if the device has a strong security protection mechanism; and whether it is safe to connect to the internet; and
(4) We can use the latest cybersecurity issues to learn how to protect ourselves from potential attacks.
