Your IoT Is Probably Not A-OK

A few weeks ago, major retailers stopped selling toys from the company CloudPets after more than 2 million recorded messages were leaked in a major security breach. Internet of things (IoT) security breaches are as prevalent as they’re varied. From medical devices and traffic lights to automobiles and toys, each hitherto unconnected device that now joins the big bad world wide web brings additional security mysteries to the fore. And with over 20 billion connected devices projected to be in use by 2020, these are mysteries we must unravel. There are plenty of reasons for the current gaps in IoT security including a lack of regulation, market failures and stakeholder indifference, although none of these are insurmountable. Even considering these challenges, there are concrete steps that we can take to avoid future IoT mishaps and eventual attacks by an animatronic locust swarm.