Cable / Telecom News

Connected devices pose risk to Canadian and U.S. corporate networks, says study



TORONTO and SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The security of corporate networks in North America is increasingly at risk as more and more IoT devices — smart coffee makers, gaming devices and even teddy bears! — are being connected to companies’ nets, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.

The study looked at IoT security practices and found a wide range of connected devices are finding their way onto corporate networks, from the above-mentioned to wearable medical devices, connected cars, light bulbs and hand sanitizer stations, says the news release announcing the study’s North American findings.

Research company Vanson Bourne was commissioned by Santa Clara-based Palo Alto Networks to conduct the survey, which polled 1,350 IT business decision-makers in 14 countries in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Of the total number of survey respondents, 300 were based in North America (Canada and the U.S.).

According to the global survey, most IT decision-makers (95%) say they are confident they have visibility of all the IoT devices on their organizations’ networks. They reported seeing a growing number of devices as well as a greater variety, such as connected vehicles (27%), connected toys (34%) and wearable medical devices (44%).

“The proliferation of IoT devices poses a major challenge for Canadian organizations,” said Ivan Orsanic, Palo Alto Networks’ Toronto-based regional vice-president and country manager for Canada. “IoT devices, such as connected medical devices, lack basic security settings that make them vulnerable to being exploited. As employees continue to work remotely, it’s imperative that IT teams introduce IoT security measures to shore up their defences.”

Nearly one in five of those surveyed at North American organizations with at least 1,000 employees reported they have not segmented IoT devices onto separate networks — a fundamental practice for building safe, smart networks, says the news release. Only 20% reported following best practices of using micro-segmentation to contain IoT devices to their own tightly controlled security zones.

According to the news releases, 35% of North American respondents said they need to make a lot of improvements to the way they approach IoT security, and 17% said that a complete overhaul is needed.

“It is striking that Canadian organizations say they can see the problem, yet are struggling to solve it. Having visibility of IoT devices is great, but without proper network segmentation, cybercriminals could gain access into networks to do damage,” added Orsanic.

To download a copy of the report, please click here.