In 2021, the number of IoT devices amounted to 14 billion globally. It is predicted that the number will significantly increase to 31 billion in 2025. While the IoT devices are gaining popularity, they have posed critical cyber security threats. IoT devices are more vulnerable to cyber attacks than mobile phones or computers, the reasons include:
- The functions of IoT devices varies. Different IoT devices require tailor-made operating systems. The design of these systems is often simple. The producers will not provide regular updates of their systems for cost-saving. There is also a lack of available security software or antivirus software to protect IoT devices in the market.
- Some IoT devices do not have strict factory security settings, while some enable unnecessary network service functions (e.g. File Transfer Protocol and Remote Desktop Protocol, etc.), which are exposed to high cyber security risks.
- Many users have insufficient awareness of IoT security. They often use default passwords or simple passwords for convenience purposes, leaving loopholes for hackers.
A report from a cyber security company revealed that, more than 1 billion IoT attacks took place in 2021, nearly 900 million of which were IoT-related phishing attacks.
