Increasing incidence of Cyberattacks during COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the significance of IoT security. Read on to know more…
Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various Industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is felt in cyber security. It is very apparent that enterprises are facing a series of challenges with IoT security and the impact of COVID-19 will clearly affect how enterprises manage security in a new environment.
Any system, which is connected to the Internet, is potentially vulnerable to attack from criminals, hacktivists and in some cases foreign state sponsored actors. Cyber attacks on enterprise systems may allow the attacker to not only take control of sub systems, but also to use these systems to breach corporate IT networks to which they may be connected. It is very clear that COVID-19 has led to an increase in new cyber attacks.
IoT Analytics reported in April 2020 in the article titled “The impact of COVID-19 on IoT” how cyberattacks in general had increased throughout the first months of the COVID-19 crisis, and how it raised the importance of IoT security in light of the changing threat landscape.
Medical Sector
Healthcare organisations, like hospitals and medical research institutions, have been hit hard by the COVID pandemic and cyber criminals have, unfortunately, taken advantage of the situation.
Several of the IoT systems that are being used to fight COVID-19 in medical sectors have been in place for years, but in the context of the pandemic are struggling to cope with latest cyber-security technologies. Research by Choi shows that data breaches increase a hospital’s 30-day mortality rate. Given this, it’s crucial that healthcare professionals come to understand the importance of cybersecurity.
Traditionally, hospitals have a poor record when it comes to cybersecurity. Reports show that ransomware and other cyberattacks are rising around the world, and that healthcare is one of the biggest targets. Some of these attacks are extremely sophisticated. Given the expansion of the user base for medical IoT devices, recent months have seen a renewed focus on their security vulnerabilities.
Preventative Measures
* Organisations can solve the majority of their IoT cyber security challenges by taking preventative measures
* Launch a Cyber Security Awareness Campaign: For organisations, employees to stay safe, everyone from IT professionals to field staff needs to be aware of cyber threats and cyber hygiene best practices in IoT Security.
* Adopt a Zero Trust Security Policy: By adopting a zero-trust policy, organisations can limit access to sensitive information and reduce the attack surface. Zero-trust policies also help limit the reach of external attacks by stopping the propagation of the infection into sensitive devices on the network.
* Segment the Healthcare Network: In the medical sectors, reduce the attack surface of the clinical network by limiting communications between devices to only those that are necessary to maintain medical services.
* Employ a Healthcare IoT Security Program: Automated security solutions can simplify and expedite healthcare IoT cyber security projects. They integrate easily with IT tools healthcare IT teams might already have in place and enrich them with the medical context hospitals need to avoid device downtime and ensure continuous clinical services.
Looking Ahead
For the IoT Industry, meeting every security challenges will be difficult. Nevertheless, improving the security of IoT devices is crucial if the Industry is ever to mature. Along the way there have, of course, been attempts to codify and improve the security of IoT devices.
As we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, we will find ourselves in a different world. The habits we develop now will provide a secure foundation for the digital world of the future. Naturally, IoT security needs to be firmly in the spotlight to support enterprises through the challenges of the pandemic and as a key enabler for future initiatives.