The Internet Of (Insecure) Things

When an innocuous item like a baby monitor can be hacked, some joked that who would want to listen in on someone’s screaming child? When car’s system is compromised remotely, allowing a hacker to shut down the car in motion, others say General Motors already had that problem through a faulty ignition switch and not a hacker. But soon there will be a security event that will come along and shake the very foundation of this “always connected, always on” world. Companies like RSA, Symantec, and Webroot are providing security for the Internet of Things (IoT) market to help companies secure their IoT, but security spans beyond the endpoints. The gateways from companies like Cisco Systems, Dell, or Intel need to be secured as well, because they are the entry point into the network. And let’s not forget about these huge repositories of data that can be attractive targets for hackers, just full of interesting information that can be exploited, and yet another place that companies need to have protection.