So how safe is the Internet of Things (IoT), a question that has been doing the rounds for some time now? A new survey by global cybersecurity association ISACA has suggested that there was a major confidence gap around the security of connected devices between the average consumer and cybersecurity and information technology professionals. ISACA was a global nonprofit association of 140,000 professionals in 180 countries.
According to the consumer segment of ISACA’s 2015 IT Risk/Reward Barometer, while 64 per cent of US consumers said they were confident they could control information conveyed through IoT devices, 78 per cent of professionals said security standards were insufficient.
Announcing the findings of the survey on its official blog, Rob Clyde, CISM, International Vice President and Board Director, ISACA, and Managing Director, Clyde Consulting LLC, said nearly half of the more than 7,000 global professionals surveyed thought their IT departments was not aware of all of the organisation’s connected devices (e.g., connected thermostats, TVs, fire alarms), yet 73 per cent believed the likelihood of being hacked through an IoT device was medium or high. About 72 per cent had said that IoT device manufacturers did not implement sufficient security.
It was clear that further education and awareness efforts were needed, especially since the number of B2B IoT devices was expected to grow from 1.2 billion connected devices in 2015 to 5.4 billion in 2020.
According to a press release, the survey also showed that about 82 per cent of Mexican consumers were confident they could control the security on the IoT devices they owned. Yet, only 60 per cent of IT and cybersecurity professionals who responded to a parallel survey felt confident about controlling who has access to information collected by IoT devices in their homes.
Mexican consumers (91 per cent) considered themselves somewhat or very knowledgeable about the IoT and the average estimated number of IoT devices in their home was seven. Smart TVs top the list of most wanted Internet of Things device to get in the next 12 months, followed by Internet-connected cameras, connected cars and smart watches.
ISACA’s annual IT Risk/Reward Barometer polls thousands of IT and cybersecurity professionals and consumers worldwide to uncover attitudes and behaviors, and the trade-offs to balance risk and reward. Results: www.isaca.org/risk-reward-barometer.
Image Credit: ISACA