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In March, a group of hackers gained access to and control over hundreds of security cameras developed and operated by Verkada, a Silicon Valley-based security-as-a-service provider. The hackers gained access by obtaining a set of Verkada user credentials that were freely available on the Internet.

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Bloomberg has reported that a group of hackers have breached a database containing security camera feeds collected by Verkada Inc., a Silicon Valley startup. The database includes live feeds of 150,000 surveillance cameras inside hospitals, organizations, police departments, prisons and schools.

According to Bloomberg, Tesla Inc. and software provider Cloudflare Inc. were exposed in the breach. Hackers say they were able to access video feeds from women's health clinics, psychiatric hospitals and the offices of Verkada, as well as access to some of the cameras using facial recognition technology. Bloomberg obtained video records, confirming the breach.

Bloomberg reports the breach was carried out by a hacker with the goal of demonstrating the "pervasiveness of video surveillance and the ease with which systems could be broken into." One of the hackers claiming credit for this breach include Tillie Kottmann, who has reportedly hacked Intel Corp. and Nissan Motor Co.

In a statement, a Verkada spokesperson said they had disabled all internal administrator accounts to prevent any further unauthorized access. "Our internal security team and external security firm are investigating the scale and scope of this issue, and we have notified law enforcement." The company is said to be working to provide a data breach notification to all customers and support line.

Rick Holland, Chief Information Security Officer at Digital Shadows and former Forrester Research analyst, says, "Verkada positions itself as a "more secure, scalable' alternative to on-premises network video recorders. The Verkada intrusion is an example of the risks associated with outsourcing services to cloud providers. You don't always get more secure when you outsource your security to a third party."

According to Holland, "the video leak is likely to result in regulatory investigations from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for HIPAA/HITECH violations because surveillance footage can be considered protected health information. GDPR violations of personal data could have also occurred, and class action lawsuits could also be on the horizon. The intrusion also highlights the need for internal cybersecurity and physical security teams to be integrated or closely aligned. The lines between these two functional areas are blurred as more and more physical security controls make their way to the cloud."

Setu Kulkarni, Vice President, Strategy at WhiteHat Security, a San Jose, Calif.-based provider of application security, explains, "If one conceptualizes the security requirements of an organization around the "digital chain of custody" - securing all elements of the digital chain of security is critical - Data, Infrastructure, Device, Endpoint, Application and Identity. Each one of those elements presents potential gateways to a breach. This breach is illustrative of how multiple simple gaps across multiple elements of the "digital chain of custody" can be combined to orchestrate a significant breach. In this case, the fact that the super-admin account information was freely available and the fact that missing security controls on the device are considered "by-design", point to how a combination of security gaps across the "digital chain of custody" resulted in such a significant breach."

According to Ray Espinoza, CISO at pentest-as-a-service provider Cobalt, this type of security breach could have likely been prevented. Espinoza says, "The attack is another example of how easily cyber criminals can infiltrate networks, how much damage they can do with the smallest loophole or bit of information. If the claims are correct, Verkada's super admin account could have been phished, could have had a weak password, or could have been left on default across multiple devices. Proactive measures like regular pentesting, red teaming, or compromise assessments likely could have caught these network vulnerabilities ahead of time."

Jeff Horne, CSO at Ordr, a connect and unmanaged device cybersecurity company, explains that while the Verkada website bolsters that they have a "Secure by Default" methodology, "it is clear that while we create devices with security-in-mind, what humans create, typically has flaws. Security is not one dimensional and while organizations might point to the faults in Verkada's practices, the ownness is not solely on the supplier or manufacture - although this point can be argued at length."

Organizations must look at the rapid growth of connected devices (ie. digital transformation), says Horne, as an opportunity to start maintaining a continuous and accurate inventory, a true understanding of how those devices communicate, automate alerts based on any device or group of devices that act outside of a set baseline, and automate proper segmentation of devices as to not let lateral movement inside your network via the device(s), and always make sure that admin maintenance accounts are secured properly. "Since the video system data can contain personally identifiable information (PII), company confidential information, and personal health information (PHI), it is important that our security community band together to help Verkada, the impacted organizations, and the individuals whose privacy was exploited."

Elisa Costante, VP of Research, Forescout, says, "Connected cameras are supposed to provide an additional layer of security to [organizations] that install them. Yet, as the shocking Verkada security camera breach has shown, the exact opposite is often true. Worryingly, the attack wasn't even very sophisticated and didn't involve exploiting a known or unknown vulnerability. The bad actors simply used valid credentials to access the data stored on a cloud server."

Constante adds, "In this case, the bad actors have seemingly only resorted to viewing the footage these cameras have captured. But they are likely able to cause a lot more damage if they choose to do so, as our own research team has discovered. We were able to intercept, record and replace real-time footage from smart cameras by exploiting unencrypted video streaming protocols and performing a man-in-the-middle attack. This effectively gives criminals a virtual invisibility cloak to physically access premises and wreak havoc in the real world. In fact, based on our own research, the Verkada cameras are in widespread use within government and healthcare, leaving those [organizations] particularly vulnerable to these kinds of attacks. The only way for [organizations] to adequately protect themselves is to ensure they have a comprehensive device visibility and control platform in place."

This latest breach should be a reminder that a compromised privileged account can lead to access to extremely sensitive devices when it is not protected with privileged access best practices, notes Joseph Carson, Chief Security Scientist at Thycotic. "Questions should be raised on whether a single user account should have that much privileged access to so many security cameras. When I was a System Administrator, we practiced separation of duties meaning that my accounts had limited access and for me to gain access to other systems I had to go through a security control before that would be permitted. This latest security breach is a stark reminder on the importance of the Principle of Least Privilege and why a single privileged account should be controlled with more verifications and requirements."

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Verkada breach exposed live feeds of 150,000 surveillance cameras inside schools, hospitals and more

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Bloomberg has reported that a group of hackers have breached a database containing security camera feeds collected by Verkada Inc., a Silicon Valley startup. The database includes live feeds of 150,000 surveillance cameras inside hospitals, organizations, police departments, prisons and schools.

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IBM's Intelligence team reported that the jeep was remotely hacked to speed up, slow down, and even veer off the road.

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TRENDnet promoted its SecurView cameras as safe for usage ranging from home security to baby monitoring, according to the FTC. They did, however, have flawed software that let anyone who had a camera's IP address to peek through it and sometimes even listen to it.

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A flaw in home security cameras made by Trendnet potentially exposed thousands of customers to hackers who could access the live video feeds without a password.

The vulnerability was discovered by a blogger who uses the name "someLuser" and who posted details of the flaw in January, describing how he was able to find vulnerable cameras online by using the Shodan search engine, which allows users to find internet-connected devices using simple search terms.

Although users can set up the cameras with a password, the videostream from even a password-protected camera is available to anyone who knows the camera's net address, which consists of an IP address, and a sequence of 15 digits that are the same for every computer. In this manner, the blogger says he was able to identify 350 vulnerable Trendnet cameras.

"There does not appear to be a way to disable access to the video stream, I can't really believe this is something that is intended by the manufacturer. Lets see who is out there :)," he wrote in his post.

Within days of his revelation, readers had found more than 600 cameras through their web addresses, which included cameras inside businesses and children's bedrooms. As more cameras were exposed, some readers posted screenshots from the cameras as well as Google Maps purporting to identify the exact location of the cameras.

U.S.-based Trendnet has acknowledged the flaw and told the BBC the vulnerability was introduced with code added to the product in 2010. The company, which first learned of the problem on Jan. 12, is in the process of updating firmware to correct the problem in 26 vulnerable models of its product. Users can find upgrades for the company's firmware at its web site.

"We anticipate to have all of the revised firmware available this week. We are scrambling to discover how the code was introduced and at this point it seems like a coding oversight," Zak Wood, Trendnet's director of global marketing, told the BBC.

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Flaw in Home Security Cameras Exposes Live Feeds to Hackers

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A flaw in home security cameras made by Trendnet potentially exposed thousands of customers to hackers who could access the live video feeds without a password.

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The FDA confirmed that St. Jude Medical's implantable cardiac devices contain flaws that might allow a hacker to get access to the device that could deplete the battery or give inappropriate pacing or shocks.

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St. Jude Medical released a set of cybersecurity updates for the Merlin remote monitoring system, which is used in its implantable pacemakers and defibrillators, on Jan. 9.

The improvements include updates to the system and are to be used with the St. Jude's current measures to reduce, what company officials called, "extremely low cybersecurity risks." All of the company's medical devices are exposed to the risk of a potential cybersecurity attack.

This is surprising admittance, given the company's firm refusal to admit to any of the flaws revealed in a September report from Muddy Waters and security firm MedSec that revealed the heart devices were vulnerable to attack and put patient lives at risk.

St. Jude has since been embroiled in a defamation lawsuit it filed against the companies. Officials accused Muddy Waters and Med Sec of releasing this information only for "financial gain and is unnecessarily frightening."

The initial MedSec report claimed successful hacking attempts could drain battery life or manipulate a pacemaker's beat rates. St. Jude's stocks tanked as a result. But a second report released during trial reiterated these claims.

Further, the FDA confirmed the data found in these reports on Jan. 9. Officials reviewed the potential vulnerabilities and confirmed the accuracy: Hackers can gain access to these devices and make alterations to the programming.

"After vehemently denying its devices suffer security vulnerabilities and then suing us, St. Jude issued a statement today that effectively vindicates the research published by MedSec and Muddy Waters," Muddy Waters Founder Carson Block, said in a statement.

"This long-overdue acknowledgement, just days after completion of St. Jude's sale to Abbott Laboratories, reaffirms our belief that the company puts profits over patients," he continued. "It also reaffirms our belief that had we not gone public, St. Jude would not have remediated the vulnerabilities."

But despite these announced repairs, Block said it doesn't address some of the major flaws revealed in the MedSec report - including the universal code that hands hackers the keys to these implants.

The Merlin at home transmitter software was updated three times in the last year, and will be immediately updated with the software patches. The update also includes additional validation and verification between the network and the device.

The company collaborated with the FDA, DHS ICS-CERT and other regulators during this software update and plans to release more throughout the year.

"There's been a great deal of attention on medical device security and it's critical that the entire industry continually enhances and improves security while bringing advanced care to patients," Ann Barron DiCamillo, advisor to St. Jude Medical's Cyber Security Medical Advisory Board, said in a statement.
Twitter: @JessieFDavis
Email the writer:jessica.davis@himssmedia.com Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

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St. Jude admits security vulnerabilities in cardiac devices

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St. Jude Medical released a set of cybersecurity updates for the Merlin remote monitoring system, which is used in its implantable pacemakers and defibrillators, on Jan. 9. The improvements include updates to the system and are to be used with the St. Jude's current measures to reduce, what company officials called, "extremely low cybersecurity risks."

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What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

The term IoT, or Internet of Things, refers to the collective network of connected devices and the technology that facilitates communication between devices and the cloud, as well as between the devices themselves. Thanks to the advent of inexpensive computer chips and high bandwidth telecommunication, we now have billions of devices connected to the internet. This means everyday devices like toothbrushes, vacuums, cars, and machines can use sensors to collect data and respond intelligently to users.

The Internet of Things integrates everyday "things" with the internet. Computer Engineers have been adding sensors and processors to everyday objects since the 90s. However, progress was initially slow because the chips were big and bulky. Low power computer chips called RFID tags were first used to track expensive equipment. As computing devices shrank in size, these chips also became smaller, faster, and smarter over time.

The cost of integrating computing power into small objects has now dropped considerably. For example, you can add connectivity with Alexa voice services capabilities to MCUs with less than 1MB embedded RAM, such as for light switches. A whole industry has sprung up with a focus on filling our homes, businesses, and offices with IoT devices. These smart objects can automatically transmit data to and from the Internet. All these "invisible computing devices" and the technology associated with them are collectively referred to as the Internet of Things.

How does IoT work?

A typical IoT system works through the real-time collection and exchange of data. An IoT system has three components:

Smart devices

This is a device, like a television, security camera, or exercise equipment that has been given computing capabilities. It collects data from its environment, user inputs, or usage patterns and communicates data over the internet to and from its IoT application.

IoT application

An IoT application is a collection of services and software that integrates data received from various IoT devices. It uses machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) technology to analyze this data and make informed decisions. These decisions are communicated back to the IoT device and the IoT device then responds intelligently to inputs.

A graphical user interface

The IoT device or fleet of devices can be managed through a graphical user interface. Common examples include a mobile application or website that can be used to register and control smart devices.

What are examples of IoT devices?

Let's look at some examples of IoT systems in use today:

Connected cars

There are many ways vehicles, such as cars, can be connected to the internet. It can be through smart dashcams, infotainment systems, or even the vehicle's connected gateway. They collect data from the accelerator, brakes, speedometer, odometer, wheels, and fuel tanks to monitor both driver performance and vehicle health. Connected cars have a range of uses:

Monitoring rental car fleets to increase fuel efficiency and reduce costs.

Helping parents track the driving behavior of their children.

Notifying friends and family automatically in case of a car crash.

Predicting and preventing vehicle maintenance needs.

Connected homes

Smart home devices are mainly focused on improving the efficiency and safety of the house, as well as improving home networking. Devices like smart outlets monitor electricity usage and smart thermostats provide better temperature control. Hydroponic systems can use IoT sensors to manage the garden while IoT smoke detectors can detect tobacco smoke. Home security systems like door locks, security cameras, and water leak detectors can detect and prevent threats, and send alerts to homeowners.

Connected devices for the home can be used for:

Automatically turning off devices not being used.

Rental property management and maintenance.

Finding misplaced items like keys or wallets.

Automating daily tasks like vacuuming, making coffee, etc.

Smart cities

IoT applications have made urban planning and infrastructure maintenance more efficient. Governments are using IoT applications to tackle problems in infrastructure, health, and the environment. IoT applications can be used for:

Measuring air quality and radiation levels.

Reducing energy bills with smart lighting systems.

Detecting maintenance needs for critical infrastructures such as streets, bridges, and pipelines.

Increasing profits through efficient parking management.

Smart buildings

Buildings such as college campuses and commercial buildings use IoT applications to drive greater operational efficiencies. IoT devices can be use in smart buildings for:

Reducing energy consumption.

Lowering maintenance costs.

Utilizing work spaces more efficiently.

What is Industrial IoT?

Industrial IoT (IIoT) refers to smart devices used in manufacturing, retail, health, and other enterprises to create business efficiencies. Industrial devices, from sensors to equipment, give business owners detailed, real-time data that can be used to improve business processes. They provide insights on supply chain management, logistics, human resource, and production - decreasing costs and increasing revenue streams.

Let's look at existing smart industrial systems in different verticals:

Manufacturing

Enterprise IoT in manufacturing uses predictive maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime and wearable technology to improve worker safety. IoT applications can predict machine failure before it happens, reducing production downtime. Wearables in helmets and wristbands, as well as computer vision cameras, are used to warn workers about potential hazards.

Automobile

Sensor-driven analytics and robotics increase efficiency in automobile manufacturing and maintenance. For example, industrial sensors are used to provide 3D real-time images of internal vehicle components. Diagnostics and troubleshooting can be done much faster while the IoT system orders replacement parts automatically.

Logistics and transport

Commercial and Industrial IoT devices can help with supply chain management, including inventory management, vendor relationships, fleet management, and scheduled maintenance. Shipping companies use Industrial IoT applications to keep track of assets and optimize fuel consumption on shipping routes. The technology is especially useful for tight temperature control in refrigerated containers. Supply chain managers make informed predictions through smart routing and rerouting algorithms.

Retail

Amazon is driving innovation in automation and human-machine collaboration in retail. Amazon facilities make use of internet-connected robots for tracking, locating, sorting, and moving products.

How can IoT improve our lives?

The Internet of Things has a wide-ranging impact on human life and work. It allows machines to do more heavy lifting, take over tedious tasks and make life more healthy, productive, and comfortable.

For example, connected devices could change your entire morning routine. When you hit the snooze button, your alarm clock would automatically get the coffee machine to turn on and open your window blinds. Your refrigerator would auto-detect finishing groceries and order them for home delivery. Your smart oven would tell you the menu for the day - it might even cook pre-assembled ingredients and make sure your lunch is ready. Your smartwatch will schedule meetings as your connected car automatically sets the GPS to stop for a fuel refill. The opportunities are endless in an IoT world!

What are the benefits of IoT for business?

Accelerate innovation

The Internet of Things gives businesses access to advanced analytics that uncover new opportunities. For example, businesses can create highly targeted advertising campaigns by collecting data on customer behavior.

Turn data into insights and actions with AI and ML

Collected data and historical trends can be used to predict future outcomes. For example, warranty information can be paired with IoT-collected data to predict maintenance incidents. This can be used to proactively provide customer service and build customer loyalty.

Increase security

Continuous monitoring of digital and physical infrastructure can optimize performance, improve efficiency and reduce safety risks. For example, data collected from an onsite monitor can be combined with hardware and firmware version data to automatically schedule system updates.

Scale differentiated solutions

IoT technologies can be deployed in a customer focused way to increase satisfaction. For example, trending products can be restocked promptly to avoid shortages.

What are IoT technologies?

Technologies used in IoT systems may include:

Edge computing

Edge computing refers to the technology used to make smart devices do more than just send or receive data to their IoT platform. It increases the computing power at the edges of an IoT network, reducing communication latency and improving response time.

Cloud computing

Cloud technology is used for remote data storage and IoT device management - making the data accessible to multiple devices in the network.

Machine learning

Machine learning refers to the software and algorithms used to process data and make real-time decisions based on that data. These machine learning algorithms can be deployed in the cloud or at the edge.

What is AWS IoT and how can it help?

AWS IoT brings AI and IoT together to improve business outcomes. It is the only cloud vendor that combines data management and rich analytics to create easy-to-use services designed for high-volume IoT data.

AWS IoT includes services like security, data encryption, and access control to device data. It is built on secure and proven cloud infrastructure and IoT networks and scales to billions of devices and trillions of messages. AWS IoT also integrates with other AWS services so you can create complete solutions.

Build with AWS IoT

AWS IoT provides IoT services for industrial, consumer, and commercial solutions. You can rely on AWS IoT services to build applications that uncover new business value, run sophisticated analytics and detect and respond to events from large number of IoT devices.

Get started with AWS IoT by creating a free AWS account. New to IoT? Learn the basics and get started building simple end-to-end IoT applications.

IoT next steps

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Instant get access to the AWS Free Tier.

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What is IoT (Internet of Things)? - Everything you need to know - AWS

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Find out what is IoT, how and why businesses use IoT, and how to use IoT with AWS.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects-"things"-that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet. These devices range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools. With more than 7 billion connected IoT devices today, experts are expecting this number to grow to 10 billion by 2020 and 22 billion by 2025. Oracle has a network of device partners.

Why is Internet of Things (IoT) so important?

Over the past few years, IoT has become one of the most important technologies of the 21st century. Now that we can connect everyday objects-kitchen appliances, cars, thermostats, baby monitors-to the internet via embedded devices, seamless communication is possible between people, processes, and things.

By means of low-cost computing, the cloud, big data, analytics, and mobile technologies, physical things can share and collect data with minimal human intervention. In this hyperconnected world, digital systems can record, monitor, and adjust each interaction between connected things. The physical world meets the digital world-and they cooperate.

What technologies have made IoT possible?

While the idea of IoT has been in existence for a long time, a collection of recent advances in a number of different technologies has made it practical.

Access to low-cost, low-power sensor technology. Affordable and reliable sensors are making IoT technology possible for more manufacturers.

Connectivity. A host of network protocols for the internet has made it easy to connect sensors to the cloud and to other "things" for efficient data transfer.

Cloud computing platforms. The increase in the availability of cloud platforms enables both businesses and consumers to access the infrastructure they need to scale up without actually having to manage it all.

Machine learning and analytics. With advances in machine learning and analytics, along with access to varied and vast amounts of data stored in the cloud, businesses can gather insights faster and more easily. The emergence of these allied technologies continues to push the boundaries of IoT and the data produced by IoT also feeds these technologies.

Conversational artificial intelligence (AI). Advances in neural networks have brought natural-language processing (NLP) to IoT devices (such as digital personal assistants Alexa, Cortana, and Siri) and made them appealing, affordable, and viable for home use.

What is industrial IoT?

Industrial IoT (IIoT) refers to the application of IoT technology in industrial settings, especially with respect to instrumentation and control of sensors and devices that engage cloud technologies. Refer to this Titan use case PDF for a good example of IIoT. Recently, industries have used machine-to-machine communication (M2M) to achieve wireless automation and control. But with the emergence of cloud and allied technologies (such as analytics and machine learning), industries can achieve a new automation layer and with it create new revenue and business models. IIoT is sometimes called the fourth wave of the industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0. The following are some common uses for IIoT:

Smart manufacturing

Connected assets and preventive and predictive maintenance

Smart power grids

Smart cities

Connected logistics

Smart digital supply chains

Unlock business value with IoT

As IoT becomes more widespread in the marketplace, companies are capitalizing on the tremendous business value it can offer. These benefits include:

Deriving data-driven insights from IoT data to help better manage the business

Increasing productivity and efficiency of business operations

Creating new business models and revenue streams

Easily and seamlessly connecting the physical business world to the digital world to drive quick time to value

What are IoT applications?

Business-ready, SaaS IoT Applications

IoT Intelligent Applications are prebuilt software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications that can analyze and present captured IoT sensor data to business users via dashboards. We have a full set of IoT Intelligent Applications.

IoT applications use machine learning algorithms to analyze massive amounts of connected sensor data in the cloud. Using real-time IoT dashboards and alerts, you gain visibility into key performance indicators, statistics for mean time between failures, and other information. Machine learning-based algorithms can identify equipment anomalies and send alerts to users and even trigger automated fixes or proactive counter measures.

With cloud-based IoT applications, business users can quickly enhance existing processes for supply chains, customer service, human resources, and financial services. There's no need to recreate entire business processes.

What are some ways IoT applications are deployed?

The ability of IoT to provide sensor information as well as enable device-to-device communication is driving a broad set of applications. The following are some of the most popular applications and what they do.

Create new efficiencies in manufacturing through machine monitoring and product-quality monitoring.

Machines can be continuously monitored and analyzed to make sure they are performing within required tolerances. Products can also be monitored in real time to identify and address quality defects.

Improve the tracking and "ring-fencing" of physical assets.

Tracking enables businesses to quickly determine asset location. Ring-fencing allows them to make sure that high-value assets are protected from theft and removal.

Use wearables to monitor human health analytics and environmental conditions.

IoT wearables enable people to better understand their own health and allow physicians to remotely monitor patients. This technology also enables companies to track the health and safety of their employees, which is especially useful for workers employed in hazardous conditions.

Drive efficiencies and new possibilities in existing processes.

One example of this is the use of IoT to increase efficiency and safety in connected logistics for fleet management. Companies can use IoT fleet monitoring to direct trucks, in real time, to improve efficiency.

Enable business process changes.

An example of this is the use of IoT devices for connected assets to monitor the health of remote machines and trigger service calls for preventive maintenance. The ability to remotely monitor machines is also enabling new product-as-a-service business models, where customers no longer need to buy a product but instead pay for its usage.

What industries can benefit from IoT?

Organizations best suited for IoT are those that would benefit from using sensor devices in their business processes.

Manufacturing

Manufacturers can gain a competitive advantage by using production-line monitoring to enable proactive maintenance on equipment when sensors detect an impending failure. Sensors can actually measure when production output is compromised. With the help of sensor alerts, manufacturers can quickly check equipment for accuracy or remove it from production until it is repaired. This allows companies to reduce operating costs, get better uptime, and improve asset performance management.

Automotive

The automotive industry stands to realize significant advantages from the use of IoT applications. In addition to the benefits of applying IoT to production lines, sensors can detect impending equipment failure in vehicles already on the road and can alert the driver with details and recommendations. Thanks to aggregated information gathered by IoT-based applications, automotive manufacturers and suppliers can learn more about how to keep cars running and car owners informed.

Transportation and Logistics

Transportation and logistical systems benefit from a variety of IoT applications. Fleets of cars, trucks, ships, and trains that carry inventory can be rerouted based on weather conditions, vehicle availability, or driver availability, thanks to IoT sensor data. The inventory itself could also be equipped with sensors for track-and-trace and temperature-control monitoring. The food and beverage, flower, and pharmaceutical industries often carry temperature-sensitive inventory that would benefit greatly from IoT monitoring applications that send alerts when temperatures rise or fall to a level that threatens the product.

Retail

IoT applications allow retail companies to manage inventory, improve customer experience, optimize supply chain, and reduce operational costs. For example, smart shelves fitted with weight sensors can collect RFID-based information and send the data to the IoT platform to automatically monitor inventory and trigger alerts if items are running low. Beacons can push targeted offers and promotions to customers to provide an engaging experience.

Public Sector

The benefits of IoT in the public sector and other service-related environments are similarly wide-ranging. For example, government-owned utilities can use IoT-based applications to notify their users of mass outages and even of smaller interruptions of water, power, or sewer services. IoT applications can collect data concerning the scope of an outage and deploy resources to help utilities recover from outages with greater speed.

Healthcare

IoT asset monitoring provides multiple benefits to the healthcare industry. Doctors, nurses, and orderlies often need to know the exact location of patient-assistance assets such as wheelchairs. When a hospital's wheelchairs are equipped with IoT sensors, they can be tracked from the IoT asset-monitoring application so that anyone looking for one can quickly find the nearest available wheelchair. Many hospital assets can be tracked this way to ensure proper usage as well as financial accounting for the physical assets in each department.

General Safety Across All Industries

In addition to tracking physical assets, IoT can be used to improve worker safety. Employees in hazardous environments such as mines, oil and gas fields, and chemical and power plants, for example, need to know about the occurrence of a hazardous event that might affect them. When they are connected to IoT sensor-based applications, they can be notified of accidents or rescued from them as swiftly as possible. IoT applications are also used for wearables that can monitor human health and environmental conditions. Not only do these types of applications help people better understand their own health, they also permit physicians to monitor patients remotely.

How is IoT changing the world? Take a look at connected cars.

IoT is reinventing the automobile by enabling connected cars. With IoT, car owners can operate their cars remotely-by, for example, preheating the car before the driver gets in it or by remotely summoning a car by phone. Given IoT's ability to enable device-to-device communication, cars will even be able to book their own service appointments when warranted.

The connected car allows car manufacturers or dealers to turn the car ownership model on its head. Previously, manufacturers have had an arms-length relationship with individual buyers (or none at all). Essentially, the manufacturer's relationship with the car ended once it was sent to the dealer. With connected cars, automobile makers or dealers can have a continuous relationship with their customers. Instead of selling cars, they can charge drivers usage fees, offering a "transportation-as-a-service" using autonomous cars. IoT allows manufacturers to upgrade their cars continuously with new software, a sea-change difference from the traditional model of car ownership in which vehicles immediately depreciate in performance and value.

Make the best business decisions with Oracle IoT

With Oracle Intelligent Applications, you can extend your supply chain, ERP, HR, and customer experience (CX) applications to the digital world. Leverage intelligent, predictive algorithms and digital twins to improve operational efficiency, boost worker productivity, enhance CX, and create new business models and opportunities.

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Physical objects are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems, ranging from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools.

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The greatest DDoS attack ever conducted against service provider Dyn was launched in October 2016 utilizing an IoT botnet. This resulted in massive internet outages, including Twitter, the Guardian, Netflix, Reddit, and CNN.

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The cyber-attack that brought down much of America's internet last week was caused by a new weapon called the Mirai botnet and was likely the largest of its kind in history, experts said.

The victim was the servers of Dyn, a company that controls much of the internet's domain name system (DNS) infrastructure. It was hit on 21 October and remained under sustained assault for most of the day, bringing down sites including Twitter, the Guardian, Netflix, Reddit, CNN and many others in Europe and the US.

The cause of the outage was a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, in which a network of computers infected with special malware, known as a "botnet", are coordinated into bombarding a server with traffic until it collapses under the strain.

What makes it interesting is that the attack was orchestrated using a weapon called the Mirai botnet. According to a blogpost by Dyn published on Wednesday, Mirai was the "primary source of malicious attack traffic".

Unlike other botnets, which are typically made up of computers, the Mirai botnet is largely made up of so-called " internet of things " (IoT) devices such as digital cameras and DVR players.

Because it has so many internet-connected devices to choose from, attacks from Mirai are much larger than what most DDoS attacks could previously achieve. Dyn estimated that the attack had involved "100,000 malicious endpoints", and the company, which is still investigating the attack, said there had been reports of an extraordinary attack strength of 1.2Tbps.

To put that into perspective, if those reports are true, that would make the 21 October attack roughly twice as powerful as any similar attack on record.

David Fidler, adjunct senior fellow for cybersecurity at the Council on Foreign Relations, said he couldn't recall a DDoS attack even half as big as the one that hit Dyn.

Mirai was also used in an attack on the information security blog Krebs on Security, run by the former Washington Post journalist Brian Krebs, in September. That one topped out at 665 Gbps.

"We have a serious problem with the cyber insecurity of IoT devices and no real strategy to combat it," Fidler said. "The IoT insecurity problem was exploited on this significant scale by a non-state group, according to initial reports from government agencies and other experts about who or what was responsible.

"Imagine what a well-resourced state actor could do with insecure IOT devices," he added.

According to Joe Weiss, the managing partner at the cybersecurity firm Applied Control Solutions and the author of Protecting Industrial Control Systems from Electronic Threats, it is hard to know what Mirai could become. "A lot of these cyber-attacks start out as one particular type of attack and then they morph into something new or different," he said. "A lot of this is modular software.

"I can't speak for anyone else," Weiss continued. "[But] I don't know that we really understand what the endgame is."

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DDoS attack that disrupted internet was largest of its kind in history, experts say

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The cyber-attack that brought down much of America's internet last week was caused by a new weapon called the Mirai botnet and was likely the largest of its kind in history, experts said. The victim was the servers of Dyn, a company that controls much of the internet's domain name system (DNS) infrastructure.

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IoT attacks are cyber-attacks that use any IoT device to obtain access to consumers' sensitive data. Attackers typically install malware on the device, harm it, or get access to further company personal data.

For example, an attacker could obtain access to an organization's temperature management system by exploiting a security flaw in any IoT device. He can then control the temperature of the rooms that are linked to the relevant gadget.

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One of the biggest concerns in today's cyber security landscape is the IoT. While this is an emerging technology, it poses a number of challenges. As such, it's imperative to work with a cybersecurity expert from the very beginning of the development process.

By involving security specialists from outside the company, companies can ensure that their products are secure before they even go on sale. Besides working with a security expert, organizations can also educate consumers about the risks of IoT systems and the steps they can take to stay safe.
One of the most concerning concerns is the lack of industry foresight, which exposes organisations to increased cybersecurity risks.
Because the IoT is not fully developed, not all devices are equipped with computing power or sophisticated security software. Furthermore, some IoT devices are so low-powered that they can barely connect to other devices. This problem has resulted in a recent wave of data breaches and hacks.

While IoT offers many advantages to businesses, government, and the health care sector, its interconnected nature also raises the stakes of cyber security damage.

The more connected devices we have, the greater the opportunity for hackers and others to access data and exploit it. In the worst case scenario, a compromised network could have a major impact on national security.

Because of the potential for data breaches, companies need to secure all of their assets. If they fail to secure their assets, they create an attractive buffet for hackers. Without proper security, IoT devices can access our systems and networks, allowing attackers to steal our information.

While IoT security is relatively new, it hasn't gained much regulatory or industry standards yet. In fact, the industry has treated IoT security as a redheaded stepchild.
When was IoT born?
According to Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), "the Internet of Things" was created in 2008-2009 at the time that more "things or objects" were connected via the Internet than humans.

The growth in smartphones and tablet PCs is cited as the reason why the number connected to the Internet reached 12.5 billion in 2010. While the world's population grew to 6.8 billion, the number connected devices per person was more than 1.84 for the first time ever in history.

5 Main Aspects of IoT Impact on Cybersecurity

Connectivity on the rise: As more devices are using IoT, they are becoming vulnerable to the attacks devised for IoT

More ways: As the connection is on the rise, so are the ways to hack the system.

Importance of information: Information plays a key role in today's world and the ones having it have extreme power. So hence hackers are targeting information.

Automation: The aspect of automated methods is that they by description are distant from individuals, and therefore expect similarly independent security methods

Built-in safety aspects: As of now, the prevalence of IoT appliances greatly lacks in-built security. The most common method nowadays is to integrate a third-party IoT safety solution to conserve a device or a whole network from unauthorized admission.

Internet of Things and Cybersecurity Risks and Challenges

The Internet of Things has established numerous hazards for the users of any segment associated with it, including threats in internet and network services, cloud interface privacy dangers, mobile interface problems, and the absence of physical security.

These dangers have elicited various main challenges for the IoT segment:

Cloud Aspect of IoT

The IoT industry is intertwined with cloud computing because there are presently no other means to refine enormous amounts of data in a quick and productive manner. However, cloud technologies occasionally act as a major vulnerable tie in the IoT chain, providing a chance to hackers.

Infrastructure

Occasionally hackers take a more explicit and basic strategy, accessing businesses' traditional networks such as power networks and transport, also connected to IoT systems.

Legislation

Various states, various laws. Periodically, data and records management strategies can be an actual discomfort for anyone trying to enforce an IoT solution in an area handling discreet information.

Protection of Personal and Business Information

If you shift to smart devices, you give a probable means for your data to be transported somewhere. It may be innocuous, or it may contain important trade or personal data. The IoT industry requires the development of strategies for better protection of information.

Top IoT statistics

1. There are well over 7 billion connected IoT devices around the globe

2. It's expected there will be 25.4 billion IoT devices by 2030

3. Video entertainment is the biggest spending category in IoT

4. IoT devices surpassed non-IoT devices in 2020

5. Over 10% of VC funding is IoT-related

6. There are more than 400 active IoT platforms in existence

Here are the largest IoT segments by revenue in 2022:

1. Consumer media and internet devices - $101.8 billion

2. Connected vehicles - $73.8 billion

3. Payment terminals - $39.4 billion

4. Asset tracking and monitoring - $17.2 billion

5. Inventory management and monitoring - $11.3 billion

IoT Security Statistics

Globally, 32% of companies who have adopted IoT consider data security concerns related to the shortage of skilled personnel the greatest concern for their IoT ecosystem. These companies consider attacks against devices to be their primary concern at 33%.

Despite all the benefits of IoT, and the potential financial gains it offers, the system is vulnerable because of the sheer volume of connected devices that are in the hands different people at different places.

Employee security awareness is critical. Some employees may not bother to secure their connected devices properly. There will be 40 million connected devices worldwide by 2025. This number will continue to grow in your company.

The IoT Security Market Is Growing

The market for IoT security is expected to reach 18.6 Billion in 2022, compared to 15.8 Billion in 2021. This is due to the increasing number of connected devices which will require serious protection. In the next decade security firmware will be more important than ever.

Escalating IoT Cyber Attacks
Due to the pandemic, the Internet of Things hacking statistics are on the rise.
Between January and June 2021, more than 1.5 million IoT breaches were reported. Most of these IoT breaches used the telnet remote access protocol.

The pandemic is a major factor in increasing cyberattacks on devices because of the continued use of these devices within a home environment.

Hackers are attracted to many devices that are not protected with adequate security protocols. Nearly 58% were carried out with the intention of mining cryptocurrency.

Conclusion

The mere velocity of growth in the IoT market guarantees fresh challenges and hazards in the immediate future. The field of cybersecurity requires development at the same speed in order to retort the growing number of pleas for security and protection..

IoT attacks are expected to double by 2025 with the rapid growth of the IoT implying an ever-expanding network of devices that could be hacked.

Secondary editor and executive officer at Tech Business News. Contracting as an IT support engineer for 20 years Matthew has a passion for sharing his knowledge of the technology industry. He's also an advocate for global cyber security matters.

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One of the biggest concerns in today's cyber security landscape is the IoT. While this is an emerging technology, it poses a number of challenges. As such, it's imperative to work with a cybersecurity expert from the very beginning of the development process. By involving security specialists from outside the company, companies can ensure that...

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Common types of IoT attacks that compromise security

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Common types of IoT attacks that compromise security

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1. Privilege escalation
2. Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks
3. Eavesdropping
4. DDoS
5. Physical Tampering

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With the development of technology, nowadays, we can connect various everyday devices, such as cars, kitchen appliances, TV, to the internet, or other wireless communication networks , via embedded devices. This technology is called, simply the Internet of Things (IoT).

IoT defines the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with sensors, , and other technologies to connect and transfer data with other devices and systems. Today it is possible to encounter IoT devices in almost every . Due to its convenience in data gathering, IoT applications are increasing their presence in many sectors.

This increasing market also appeals to the threat actors . All these opportunities that IoT enables also creates new gaps on the . Most IoT devices have to communicate in the system's different layers. It is also convenient for attackers to infiltrate IoT devices. Since these devices are not seen as fundamental parts of a company's infrastructure, their security generally is not a high priority for the companies.

These devices are installed not from a security standpoint but for the system's general needs. So this makes IoT devices vulnerable to possible cyber attacks, which could have detrimental results for the companies. to protect even the most unthought-of attack surfaces, in this case, IoT devices.

What Makes IoT Devices Vulnerable?

A simple IoT device typically does not have a required built-in security solution to counter . Common vulnerabilities and zero-days could help cybercriminals or groups breach IoT devices and use the devices in multiple ways to execute comprehensive cyber attacks .

Most IoT devices have limited uses and purposes since their main objectives are to achieve simple tasks. Because of this, their security posture is not considered most of the time, rendering them possibly vulnerable to cyber attacks. Unpatched , lack of adequate security solutions, and unchanged or unsafe passwords are the main reasons IoT devices are considered vulnerable. IoT devices could be regarded as the weakest link in some systems.

Common IoT Attacks

Privilege escalation: Attackers could exploit bugs , unpatched vulnerabilities, critical design problems, or even operating system oversights in an IoT device to obtain unauthorized access to the network. After they have unauthorized access, they can further exploit unpatched vulnerabilities or to escalate privileges up to the admin level to own the system.

Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks: Cybercriminals might exploit weaknesses by exploiting insecure networks in the protocols and services running on IoT devices. When they exploit a network, attackers can breach the , which should have been encrypted between the user and the server. Threat actors can modify the packets in communications between IoT devices and servers to gain access to the system or get sensitive data from the communications.

Eavesdropping: Due to its incapabilities, when a weakened connection between an IoT device and server is found, cybercriminals can intercept network traffic and obtain the credentials or sensitive information IoT devices transmit over enterprise networks.

Brute-force password attacks: The fact that the security posture of an IoT device is not generally considered in a company makes the IoT devices vulnerable to potential cyber-attacks , in this case, brute force or dictionary attacks. Most of the time, passwords of IoT devices are left unchanged or simply set to a basic password. Threat actors can execute or dictionary attacks to gain access to the device.

Malicious node injection: As the name implies, attackers physically insert malicious nodes between legitimate nodes in an IoT network with this type of attack. Then, these malicious nodes can be used to have control over the data flowing between linked nodes.

Firmware hijacking: Since there are many IoT brands and products, each has its software, updates, and modifications. Threat actors can benefit from this unknown environment by uploading fake updates or drivers to the surface web. Therefore, if drivers of IoT devices are not checked, attackers could be able to the device and download malicious software.

The cyber community has seen an abundant increase in DDoS attacks in the last five years, possibly due to botnets and zombified IoT devices. When infected with botnet malware, IoT devices turn into puppets threat actors use to perform cyber attacks on large scales, such as .

Physical tampering: Physical threats exist, especially where IoT devices are accessible from the outside and challenging for the enterprise to control who has access. Threat actors could gain initial access from the physically insecure IoT devices or install malware .

Minimizing Cyber Risks Emerging from IoT Devices

IoT devices could be exploited in many ways due to their potential security flaws. SOCRadar's analysts suggest you follow the below guidelines to minimize cyber risks regarding IoT devices.

IoT devices should be installed with security in mind: Implement solid passwords and regularly update IoT credentials. In addition, enabling MFA is suggested.

Logging and monitoring IoT devices is essential: We cannot know from where a cyber attack will come. So, monitoring and logging IoT devices are crucial to detect potential breaches or discover unsuccessful attempts and fortify the attack surface.

All IoT devices should be physically protected : A printer out in the lobby could be easily accessed by threat actors. Physically protecting IoT devices is crucial since devices accessible from outside could be physically tampered with to gain unauthorized access to the system or infect malware.

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Common IoT Attacks that Compromise Security - SOCRadar® Cyber Intelligence Inc.

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With the development of technology, nowadays, we can connect various everyday devices, such as cars, kitchen appliances, TV, to the internet, or other wireless communication networks , via embedded devices. This technology is called, simply the Internet of Things (IoT).

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The internet of things, or IoT, is a networked system of interconnected computing devices, mechanical and digital machinery, items, animals, or people with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

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1. Connectivity is increasing: As more devices use IoT, they become more vulnerable to IoT-specific attacks.
2. Additional approaches: As the internet connection grows, so do the possibilities for hacking the system.
3. The significance of information: In today's society, information is crucial, and those who possess it wield enormous influence. As a result, hackers are after information.
4. Automation: Because automated processes are, by definition, remote from individuals, they require similarly autonomous security measures.
5. Built-in safety features: As of currently, the majority of IoT appliances lack built-in security. To protect a device or an entire network from illegal access, the most frequent option currently is to include a third-party IoT security solution.