Preparing for the

Internet of Things

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) links intelligent machines, sensors

and analytics online to form a productivity-enhancing
revolution. By 2020, Gartner says it will connect 26 billion
devices (excluding PCs, smartphones and tablets).1 The IoT is
already under attack, and the following four scenarios highlight
the security challenge:

Industrial control systems

that run everything from utilities to factories now combine formerly
walled off operational technology and IT in new IoT-based solutions,
potentially exposing fundamental infrastructure to threats that could
shut down cities or harm citizens.

Connected vehicles
stream the latest information and entertainment, but could fall victim to
hacker attempts to reprogram vehicle electronics, compromising passenger
safety or damaging automaker brands.

Unmanned aerial vehicles

(“drones”) play increasingly prominent roles in modern life, but their
wireless IoT connections are vulnerable to attack, allowing hackers to hijack
them for malicious purposes.

Connected retail
provides more insights than ever into consumer behaviors, but it also
opens up massive new amounts of customer data to attacks.

Securing the IoT will require companies to adopt new ways of

thinking to defend themselves and their customers against
malicious attackers and privacy abuses. Methods include:

Engineer “trust” into Adopt a new operational Develop contextualized threat

connected products by mindset that focuses on models that incorporate
applying secure by design continuously monitoring the business goals, underlying
principles throughout a company’s operational and technical infrastructure and
product’s development. security health. potential business threats.

Apply mobile and Adopt “privacy by design” Understand and use

cyber/physical system (CPS) (PbD) principles, such as emerging standards.
security lessons, which can co-locating access and
provide valuable insights. authorization rights with
relevant data sets.

Continue to educate system

users on key threats such as
sophisticated phishing and
social engineering attacks.

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