For the past few years, businesses in the UAE have been reporting IoT threats and vulnerabilities like never before. The cause is simple. The unconventional dependency on IoT devices, or the type of devices that are connected to the internet. What are IoT vulnerabilities and how to overcome them? You will have a better idea about these from reading this blog to the end.
What are IoT Vulnerabilities?
IoT vulnerabilities refer to the security weaknesses you are likely to see across your Internet of Things devices or the devices connected to the Internet. These vulnerabilities could stem from anything ranging from a weak password, susceptibility to data breaches, outdated firmware, and poor communication protocols. When these weaknesses are present, they could expose your devices and networks to frequent cyberattacks and exploitation.
How Do IoT Security Threats Endanger Business Users in Dubai, UAE?
Reports show that IoT vulnerabilities are causing serious trouble to businesses in Dubai, UAE. The dangers of these threats are more widespread here due to the significantly high number of businesses from diverse industries operating here. Discover some of the ways these threats are disrupting the workflow and causing reputational damage to the businesses.
Internal Network Breaches
Various IoT vulnerabilities reported in the UAE include breaches within the internet network, which often allow attackers to navigate through a network and access sensitive systems and data. As a result, users face severe security risks and disruptions in their operations.
High Adaptation of Botnet Techniques
Just like technology is evolving to bring more sophistication into the botnet infrastructure, attackers are also evolving their IoT botnet techniques to evade security and thus increase the challenge for businesses. When users fail to ensure detection and defense, they are at greater risk of failing to sustain such cyberattacks.
Flaws in Legacy IoT Devices
IoT devices with known security vulnerabilities can carry significant risks, as cybercriminals are more likely to exploit these. Several businesses in the UAE have had to ditch such systems due to excessive data leakage resulting from the flaws in those devices.
Botnet Exploitation Using IoT
When botnet exploitation via IoT happens, an attacker hijacks the IoT device and creates botnets in them. Doing so can allow the attacker to see the user’s network getting weakened and their online business presence is severely affected.
Weaknesses in Consumer Appliances
Regular IoT appliances are more susceptible to attacks. Businesses overly depending on them create a way for hackers to access corporate networks and thereby execute data theft more easily. The outcome of such attacks can further lead to operational disruption and reputational damage.
Whether it is a banking service, a healthcare facility, or a logistics firm, the dependence on IoT devices is both diverse and highly unavoidable. The way forward is to stay updated on the Internet of Things vulnerabilities and take necessary precautions. CyberGuard’s specialized IoT cybersecurity services can provide you with that much-needed protection.
Common IoT Device Vulnerabilities and The Challenges They Pose
Here are some of the IoT vulnerabilities that businesses in Dubai are actively addressing. Identifying if these challenges apply to you can help you build a secure environment against them.
Use of simple or pre-set passwords:
When you use passwords that are easy for attackers to guess or overly depend on the constant or default passwords in the IoT devices, your chances of exposing your assets for the easy access of unauthorized users are high.
Flawed Update Delivery Framework:
We have seen that in many of the IoT threat instances, the users had ineffective mechanisms for keeping their connected devices updated. As a result, those devices were exposed to several of the known vulnerabilities.
Outdated or Weak Protection Components:
Using old or weak security software or hardware can be a high-risk element for letting attackers easily exploit an IoT device. This flaw can therefore cause unauthorized access, data breaches, and malfunctioning of the systems.
Lack of Safety for Data During Transfer/Storage:
If your data is not properly encrypted before transferring it to a different source or location or you haven’t enabled sufficient encryption for storage, it remains vulnerable to theft and tampering.
Vulnerable Factory Settings:
Default security settings of the connected devices are not to be used permanently. They need to be changed by the users to ensure the devices’ safety. Otherwise, these default settings may leave the devices exposed to potential threats and exploits.
Poorly Secured/Unguarded Networks:
Networks that are not securely configured, such as those having no firewalls or no encryption, are prone to penetration by attackers, and the connected devices on those networks are vulnerable to IoT attacks.
Unsecured Interactions Between Ecosystem Interfaces:
Before a device or system is made to interact with the outside environment, there need to be proper encryption and security protocols in place to ensure that they are not creating any potential for break-ins.
Deficient Privacy Control Measures:
Another common reason for the increasing IoT vulnerabilities is inadequate privacy settings and controls. Your connected devices deserve better treatment with regard to these aspects to deny unauthorized access and subsequent data breaches.
Poorly Managed Device Administration:
Lack of a proper mechanism to effectively and proactively manage the connected devices can increase the security risks of these devices. In such contexts, the vulnerabilities are likely to persist and remain highly exploitable.
Deficient Physical Security Controls for Hardware:
Just like the software updates, the physical security controls of the IoT devices matter when it comes to bringing immunity to vulnerabilities. For instance, common threat scenarios like tampering or theft result from deficient physical security.
How Businesses in UAE Can Mitigate the Risks of Growing IoT Vulnerabilities?
Verifying if your IoT devices are vulnerable and upgrading the security protocols to meet the highest safety standards are the recommended ways forward for businesses in Dubai to mitigate the increasing IoT risks. With a reliable cybersecurity company in the UAE for your assistance, both these can be done without stress or causing your business any downtime.
Strengthen your IoT defenses! Our team in Dubai delivers comprehensive cybersecurity strategies to protect your devices and data.
Conclusion
With more and more crimes reported on grounds of exploiting vulnerabilities in the digital resources, the importance of digital forensics in cybersecurity is increasing and evolving. We hope this blog helps you understand its scope and implications. We would love to hear your thoughts. For any professional support regarding cyber security feel free to contact our team today.
Frequently Asked Questions
IoT device vulnerability refers to the security weakness that an IoT (Internet of Things) device is identified with. These weaknesses can allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access to these devices, steal data, or interrupt their functioning.
IoT vulnerabilities are one of the leading causes of data breaches, system downtime, and financial fraud. When your business is exposed to an IoT attack, it can severely damage your company’s reputation.
Cybercriminals targeting IoT devices used in government offices can cause serious threats to the countries that are the victims of these attacks. From compromising national security to damaging critical infrastructure to stealing sensitive government data, these attacks can pose threats of varying degrees.
Using strong passwords, installing frequent software updates, using network segmentation, and protecting networks via firewalls are some effective strategies to protect IoT devices. It is also recommended to get your devices and networks assessed with the help of a reliable cybersecurity company in Dubai.
IoT is the abbreviation of the Internet of Things. It can refer to a wide range of physical devices that have connectivity to the internet via sensors, Wi-Fi, or software and can collect or manage data. Common examples of IoT include smart locks, security cameras, attendance tracking machines, etc.
