Tips To Protect Your Company's IoT Devices

The Internet of Things (IoT) is proving to have many potential applications for businesses of any size. The necessary digital transformation has meant that many SMEs have already adopted a large number of IoT devices and have benefited from their advantages: reduce costs, provide better services, differentiate themselves from the competition, and simplify tasks and processes.

However, this scenario of connected devices has become one of the preferred targets for cybercriminals: no less than half of the exploits target connected devices. In fact, the world suffered 80% of global cyberattacks towards IoT devices in 2019.

So what can an SME do to protect itself?

A good first step is to change the default password of the router since it has been the most attacked IoT device in 2019.
Similarly, you need to change all the default passwords on all your IoT devices. This step is especially important for security cameras.
Remember that your new passwords must be strong. That is, contain more than 8 characters, mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters whenever possible. Also, you should not include personal information in them.
Use a different password for each device. You can use a password manager like Keepass to manage them.
Deactivate the remote control function in those devices where it is not necessary to have it activated.
Create different Wi-Fi networks (if your router offers this option) and isolate the connected devices. In this way, if one of them is attacked, it will not spread to the rest of the devices.
Never assume that a connected device, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, is safe: all your devices must be properly updated and have a firewall and antivirus installed and updated.
Check what data is stored on your IoT device and who is requesting access to it. Before using any device, carefully read the permissions that you grant it and check that they do not endanger your company’s confidential information.
Put these tips into practice and exercise extreme caution with your connected devices as they are one of the preferred targets for cybercriminals.