“Automation often seems like a holy grail for businesses and consumers alike….”
That’s the opening sentence to our February 2019 GTIC Monthly Threat Report. This report covers everything from the inherent risks in implementing IoT in a commercial environment, to Iran’s increase in cyber espionage, and analysis into data and vulnerabilities security researchers observed over the past month.
Let’s be honest with ourselves – automation is ‘cool’. Whether it’s an automated email delivered to a prospect or the heat in your home automatically adjusting to maintain a comfortable temperature, there’s just something futuristic about being able to ‘set it and forget it’.
Businesses have sought to implement automation into their operations for what seems like forever, and for good reason! Automation can help a business scale. It can be an important step in an organization’s digital transformation. It can potentially help a company get an edge on the competition by reducing costs and increasing productivity.
Much of today’s automation in commercial environments is driven by the internet. Both IoT and OT devices connect to the internet and enlarge an organization’s digital footprint.
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with enlarging your digital footprint. It’s an indicator of an organization’s growth but, with a larger digital footprint, the threat landscape also widens.
Growth in IoT brings management and security challenges
The IoT device market is set to reach over 75.4 billion devices by 2025. No matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of devices!
Many of these devices will be implemented into a commercial environment, and at the current pace at which these devices are being developed and brought to market, security is often an afterthought.
In the most recent Monthly Threat Report, security researchers point out: “More smart devices connecting to your network mean more management challenges.” In fact, security researchers also included a security warning concerning one brand of internet-connected products that are shipping with known security vulnerabilities.
The point is this – when you’re implementing an automation solution, especially if that solution will be connecting to the internet – take your time to research the security features of the product before rolling it out across your organization.
Oh, and check out the latest GTIC Monthly Threat Report! The report includes four actionable recommendations for you to consider when implementing IoT solutions into your environment.
NTT Security is the specialized security company and the center of excellence in cybersecurity for NTT Group. With embedded security we enable NTT Group companies to deliver resilient business solutions for clients’ digital transformation needs. NTT Security has 10 SOCs, seven R&D centers, over 1,500 security experts. NTT Security is part of the NTT Group (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), one of the largest ICT companies in the world.
