A massive analysis of 83 million devices that are part of the Internet-of-things (IoT) indicates that more and more homes contain smart devices, while also providing further evidence of the notorious lack of security in many IoT devices. The study, carried out by Avast and various academic researchers, found that at least one IoT device is present in one in three homes across the globe and in two-thirds of North American homes. In North America, one in four homes have a minimum of 3 smart devices.
According to Rajarshi Gupta of Avast, the analysis shows that “millions of IoT devices today still use obsolete protocols like Telnet and FTP, both of which are known to transfer data in plain text.” These insecure protocols and other security shortcomings in IoT devices not only put the owners of vulnerable devices at risk, but pose a threat to companies as well. “If a gadget at home is compromised and that employee unknowingly uses their work laptop on the same Wi-Fi, a cyberattacker can infiltrate the computer too,” Gupta explains.
Read more: Insecure Home IoT Devices a Clear and Present Danger to Corporate Security
