How To Ensure The Cybersecurity of Evolving IoT Devices?

Isn’t it amazing that you can access the same data from your laptop, mobile phone, or even your friend’s device simply by signing in from any corner of the world? Tech experts believe that this is just the beginning. The future envisages smart cities connected to a city’s common internet network and performing most of their functions like traffic control, waste collection, and town planning on their own, with minimal human intervention. IoT technology is likely to become more ubiquitous than ever in the time to come. 

So, we all know how IoT will make our lives more hassle-free but have we ever thought that more connectivity comes at a cost, and that cost is cybersecurity. 

With the evolution of IoT, data monitoring has become increasingly difficult as the data moves from one device to another in a split second. Unfortunately, this also implies that malware, ransomware or cybersecurity threats too can transfer from one device to another like a wildfire. 

The IoT sector heavily relies upon cloud connectivity for data collection. However, cloud connectivity is creating unconventional threats to the stored data. In such a situation, protecting IoT devices becomes a complex process. Therefore, a robust cybersecurity platform has become the need of the hour. 

Types of IoT attacks you should be aware of

DoS attack: Pretending to be an authenticated user, the intruder disrupts the normal functioning of the network. DoS attack triggers a crash through authentication flooding. 

Phishing attack: This refers to stealing of user’s credentials like passwords and credit card details. In a phishing attack, the cybercriminals represent themselves as a trusted body. 

Malicious code injection: The intruder manipulates the authenticated data by injecting malicious code into the system. 

Session hijacking: This refers to exploiting web sessions by gaining access to the user’s sensitive data. 

Physical attack: The attacker physically accesses the IoT device and spreads malicious codes through USB drives and similar instruments.

Encryption attack: The intruder leverages an unencrypted IoT device and installs his algorithms to take complete control of the system or device. 

Hijacking firmware: The devices that do not install firmware updates are vulnerable to cyber security attacks. In such cases, hijacking the device, the attacker downloads malicious software. 

Botnet attack: Botnets are used for transferring private and sensitive data. Therefore they are on the target list of the hijackers. The assailants either sell data on the dark web or disable the device.

Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepting communication between two parties, the attacker sends messages that might look legitimate—for example, a mail from the bank to update the credentials of your banking app. Thus, capturing critical information, they perform further damage.

Ransomware attack: It is one of the most popular types of cyber attack. The attackers prevent the native user from accessing the information by encrypting it. Then they demand a hefty ransom for sharing the decryption key. Every year, thousands of businesses fall prey to ransomware attacks. 

Eavesdropping: Weakened connection between an IoT device and a server can be an open gateway for attackers. In eavesdropping, the hijacker listens to digital or analogue voice communication by intercepting and then gaining access to sensitive data based on the information received. 

Privilege escalation: Even devices secured through an application or user profile are not safe. In privilege escalation, assailants hack devices that have recently gained privileges, and then they inject malware or steal data.  

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