Palo Alto Networks Report: Remote Work Has Made IoT Security More Challenging for Organizations

A new Palo Alto Networks survey shows that 78 percent of information technology decision-makers whose internet of things-based devices are linked to their organization’s network said they saw an increase in the number of IoT security incidents driven by the transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company said Wednesday it commissioned technology research firm Vanson Bourne to survey 1,900 IT leaders at organizations in 18 countries in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East on IoT security issues and found that 78 percent of respondents reported a rise in heart rate monitors, smart lightbulbs, game consoles and other nonbusiness IoT devices on corporate networks in the past year.

“IoT adoption has become a critical business enabler. It presents new security challenges that can only be met if employees and employers share responsibility for protecting networks,” said Ryan Olson, vice president of threat intelligence, Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks.

The report showed that 96 percent of respondents who have IoT devices connected to their networks said they believe their organization’s IoT security approach needs improvement.

IT leaders also mentioned the required capabilities to ensure the security of IoT devices, including threat protection, risk assessment, device visibility and inventory and IoT device context for security teams.

The respondents cited industrial IoT attacks and distributed denial of service attacks as their top concerns followed by breach of connected cameras, breach of internet of medical things, compromise of connected home devices and breach of connected wearables.

“Remote workers need to be aware of devices at home that may connect to corporate networks via their home router. Enterprises need to better monitor threats and access to networks and create a level of segmentation to safeguard remote employees and the organization’s most valuable assets,” Olson noted.

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