ChannelVision Sept-Oct 2017

By Tara Seals This opens the door for channel partners to offer a range of differentiating cybersecurity services. IoT security is increasingly in the spotlight, as more and more connected devices open themselves – and the networks they’re connect- ed to – to the internet and therefore hackers. Perhaps the most high-profile IoT security topic revolves around the infamous Mirai DDoS attacks last year. Most IoT devices ship with default authentication credentials, which all too often aren’t changed from the factory settings. Mirai is simply a botnet that scans for those (well-known) default credentials, and once it finds them, it enslaves the device. Users are often unaware, because IoT devices usually function with little to no human interaction. Mirai was responsible for disrupting DNS provider Dyn, taking down sites including Spotify, Reddit and Twitter, security site Krebs On Security, and the entire African nation of Liberia. It was a bit of an incident – and serves as a jumping off point for an IoT security conversation within the enterprise. On the Rise Despite security concerns, IoT continues to grow significantly as a technology segment. According to 451 Research, spending on IoT projects remains solid, with 65.6 percent of respondents planning to increase their spend- ing in the next 12 months and only 2.7 percent planning a reduction. Attacking the Surface W hile most businesses see opportunity in the internet of things (IoT), organizations lack understanding of how to properly secure the growing number of devices connected to their enterprise networks Opportunities on the IoT battlefield Cyber Patrol Channel Vision | September - October, 2017 56