The vast majority of IT professionals say they anticipate an increase in cybersecurity attacks on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), according to a new study from Tripwire.
The survey, which quizzed more than 400 participants with responsibility for IT security as a ‘significant’ part of their job, saw more than half (51%) of respondents say they did not feel prepared for security attacks that exploit or abuse insecure IIoT devices, while almost two thirds (64%) say they already recognise the need to protect against IIoT attacks as they continue to gain popularity among hackers.
The respondents were also asked about their expectations on how they see the deployment of IIoT devices to change, and affect their level of vulnerability. It was found that:
- 90% expect IIoT deployment to increase.
- 94% expect IIoT to increase risk and vulnerability in their organizations.
- When respondents were broken down by company size, both larger companies (96%) and smaller companies (93%) expect a significant increase in risk caused by the use of IIoT.
Robert Westervelt, security research manager at IDC, said: “The apparent contradiction of known risks and continued deployment demonstrates that security and operations need to coordinate on these issues. While IIoT may bring new challenges and risks, the fundamentals of security still apply.
“Organisations do not need to find new security controls, rather they need to figure out how to apply security best practices in new environments.”
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