Intelligent CISO Issue 30 | Page 37

Botnets are the most common IoT cyberthreat , causing Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) attacks .
FEATURE
The hyperconnected , global marketplace of the 21st century has shifted the landscape for networking and security . Two prevalent trends in this area — cloud adoption and the rise of the Internet of Things ( IoT ) — are seemingly two different components of Digital Transformation , with separate purposes and scope . However , they actually work together , fuelling one another in the digital ecosystem . This symbiotic relationship has important implications when it comes to deploying , using and securing cloud services and the IoT .
As the number of IoT devices grows , so does the amount of data they generate . This is in addition to the massive stores of data that are already being amassed by businesses , governments and even individuals – data that must be collected , processed , mined and stored . Take , for example , the use of sensors in warehouses where inventory can be tracked . This technology provides managers with essential data on purchasing trends so they are better equipped to manage inventory , especially on fast-selling items . Similar devices in retail locations provide information not just about inventory , but everything from temperatures in refrigeration units to customer purchasing trends .
IoT sensors installed on manufacturing equipment provide production managers with critical information . Environmental data from these sensors signal evidence of wear and tear on expensive equipment , alerting managers about maintenance before that equipment fails and costs the organisation millions of dollars in lost productivity .
As a result of these and other use cases , organisations are finding that in order to keep up with the massive

Botnets are the most common IoT cyberthreat , causing Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) attacks .

amounts of data they are amassing , they need to act fast and build out their data management resources . For many , this comes in the form of a standard , two-pronged solution : easily scalable cloud data centres and high-performing infrastructures developed to support data mining for critical information .
An increased digital footprint results in increased risk
One of the top challenges associated with IoT adoption is security . Botnets are the most common IoT cyberthreat , causing Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) attacks like the notorious Mirai , which infected tens of thousands of IoT devices before causing massive disruption .
When compromised , IoT devices may do the following :
1 . Intercept data being transmitted 2 . Act as a vehicle for malware 3 . Fall under control of a botnet to carry out a specific , disruptive task such as DDoS
Jonathan Nguyen-Duy , Vice President , Global Field CISO Team , Fortinet
According to research conducted by the team at FortiGuard Labs , IoT devices were involved in half of the top 12 exploits last year . This is primarily due to the fact that most IoT devices are designed with fault code , no built-in www . intelligentciso . com | Issue 30
37