As organizations begin to deploy IoT projects to drive innovation, agility and digital transformation, a Trend Micro poll highlights the need to improve awareness of IoT threats in the enterprise.
The survey noted that only 14 percent of respondents say they have a complete organizational awareness of IoT threats.
Meanwhile, 37 percent claimed they are not always able to define their security needs before implementing IoT solutions. This despite the fact that 59 percent of corporate IoT attacks target office devices.
Overall, 86 percent of surveyed IT and security decision-makers across the globe believe their organization needs to improve its awareness of IoT threats.
The survey, jointly conducted with research firm Vanson Bourne, polled 1,150 IT and security decision-makers across five countries, including USA, UK, France, Germany, and Japan, between 1 April and 25 May 2018.
Kevin Simzer, chief operating officer for Trend Micro, said in a media statement that a common theme in cyber attacks today is that many are driven by a lack of security awareness.
“It’s a good first step to see that IT leaders recognize awareness levels need to rise across the organization,” he said.
The survey noted that the lack of IoT security awareness leaves companies increasingly exposed to potentially damaging cyber attacks. This is because aside from office devices, manufacturing and the supply chain are also the next likely targets of attacks.
The study noted that “when an attacker compromises these devices, they can also gain access to the greater corporate network to conduct even more damaging attacks.”
“We recommend business leaders clearly acknowledge the IoT security challenges affecting their company, understand where their security requirements, and invest accordingly to make their security goals a reality,” Simzer said.
