According to Kaspersky’s survey, 61% of organisations currently use IoT platforms as business applications, but several industries have seen a significant increase in usage over the last year. For example, the IT and Telecoms sector saw an increase from 64% in 2018 to 71% in 2019 when it came to IoT deployment. However, the advantages of IoT are also accompanied by greater cybersecurity challenges. For example, Kaspersky experts have identified 105 million attacks on IoT devices worldwide in the first half of 2019 alone.

The study also showed that companies and organisations are increasingly concerned with IT security challenges that affect IoT. For example, 28% of those surveyed by Kaspersky (across all industries) stated that they had experienced security problems related to the use of IoT platforms in 2019. In addition, networked devices and sensors transmit data in the terabyte range. This often includes critical business figures or customer data.

When it comes to IT security and data protection, 36% of companies surveyed revealed that they grant third parties’ access to their IoT platforms - a much higher figure than for production (23%) or ERP software (30%).
"IoT platforms can give your business a powerful boost. But to reap the benefits, companies have to make a considerable effort. The effective use of the Internet of Things requires specific business processes and expertise," says Grigory Sizov, head of the KasperskyOS business unit. "Our study shows that the security question must also be answered in the IoT environment. Among other factors, the security of the equipment, technical and organisational security measures, and data protection are important. It is important to consider security issues at an early stage of IoT implementation. In order to support our customers in this task, we at Kaspersky work on the further development of IoT security solutions and the associated expertise".

Tips for the safe use of IoT in all companies
• Before using networked devices, their security must be evaluated. Do the devices have security certificates? Is the manufacturer known for its focus on information security?
• The team responsible for IT security should have up-to-date threat intelligence. Security audits must be carried out regularly.
• An appropriate and rapid incident response requires that procedures are in place to ensure that knowledge of significant vulnerabilities in software and applications and available updates is always available.
• Use cybersecurity solutions that can analyse network traffic and detect and prevent possible attacks on IoT devices. The findings should then be incorporated into the company’s complete network security system.
• Only IoT devices that are specifically designed for security should be used. The Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway solution, with KasperskyOS at its core, guarantees a secure gateway and protects all connected devices and the entire IoT system.